Honey Locust

Fast growing, can reach heights up to 50 feet when mature. Small leaflets with a very open crown. The tree contains thorns around 20 cm long on the main trunk and lower branches. The bark is grayish-brown and elongated. The leaflets are shiny, dark green, and usually close to 1 inch in length. There is usually 15-30 leaflets on a single leaf. The leaves are usually around 6 inches long. The fruit is a pea-like pod that is dark red/brown that contains a sweet, "honey"-like pulp. The Honey Locust shown on the left is found near the stairs when walking to Pierce Hall parking lot. 

Distribution: East-Central United States

Uses: The wood from Honey Locusts is dense, hard, coarse-grained, strong, and shock-resistant. It is primarily used in parking lots and sidewalks for erosion control and windbreak. It is also used to create pallets, crates, and furniture. The pods provide food for deer, cattle, squirrels, and many other wild animals. It also used to be harvested to make bows. Unfortunately, the amount of wood is too scarce to be considered important in the economy.