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Honey locust

Gleditsia triacanthos

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 45°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -30°C

Waterlogging tolerance

3/5

Drought tolerance

5/5

Mature size

8–18 m tall, 10 m spread

Seasonal interest

Summer shade · Fresh green

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 3/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

A declared weed in parts of Australia; thorns on wild forms.

Toxicity: mild

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Gleditsia triacanthos L.
Family
Fabaceae (Fabales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 2959443

Recorded as introduced in: Alaska, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Arizona, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Bulgaria, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Russia and 45 further regions

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

The honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys. Honey locust trees are highly adaptable to different environments, and the species has been introduced worldwide. Outside its natural range it can be an aggressive, damaging invasive species.

Description from Wikipedia — Honey locust (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: native
  • Australia: restricted

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.