Honey Locust
As we wait for spring, a leaf, a flower, any real sign that winter is behind us, I am reminded that there’s still lots to see in nature. For example, some trees have features that are more prominent at this time of year simply because there are no leaves to obscure what’s underneath them.
What better tree to make that point than the honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) a member of the legume family (Fabaceae), not to be confused with the sweet-blossomed, spring-flowering black locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia).
What makes honey locust distinctive? For most specimens of this native tree it is the long woody, branched spikes, sometimes six inches or more long. The needle-sharp, formidable spikes usually have two shorter secondary spines on each section or are “three-thorned,” hence the species name triacanthos.
One form that occurs naturally in Arkansas has no spines. The genus name Gleditsia honors the 18th-century German botanist, Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch (1714-1786), author of early scientific works on forestry. There are now about 16 known species of Gleditsia found in Central and Southeast Asia, South and North America, and Africa. Our native honey locust was introduced to England and grown as a specimen tree by the late 1600s.
Why is it called honey locust (or rarely sugar locust)? It is not because of honey collected by pollinators, but because of the sweet, gummy stuff inside the seedpods. The seedpods, about 8 to 16 inches long, are twisted and lightweight, which is part of their seed dispersal mechanism, allowing the dried pods to be blown by wind, twirling across the ground away from the mother tree. The near ripe pods are a sweet treat high in sugars (up to 38 percent) and were used in the South during the Civil War for making beer.
The seedpods and their pulp were also used to sweeten other beverages. The sugary gum in the pods has been studied as a possible binding for tablets and for use as an edible coating for cheese. The seedpods of a Chinese species, Gleditsia sinensis are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating sore throat, and coughs.
Rather than fear the tree for its armor, admire it for its sweet potential.