Gleditsia triacanthos

Honey locust

Family: Fabaceae · Type: tree · Not Native

Honey locust is a naturalized tree found in the Sacramento Valley and Peninsular Ranges at elevations below 800 meters, typically growing in moist riparian to dry upland woodland habitats. Flowering from May to June, this tree produces yellow-green flowers in small clusters on branch spurs. Growing with a broad, spreading form and reaching substantial heights, it develops complex 2-pinnate leaves with multiple leaflets arranged in intricate patterns. Its leaves are deciduous, featuring 7 to 17 primary leaflets and 4 to 20 secondary leaflets, each elliptic to oblong and measuring 1.3 to 2.5 centimeters long. The fruit is a distinctive long, curved pod 20 to 40 centimeters in length, brown and shiny, which persists on the tree and often becomes twisted with age.

Habitat: Uncommon. Moist riparian to dry upland woodland

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: ScV, PR, expected elsewhere

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.