Honey locust

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Honey locust
Gleditsia triacanthos Maryhill Museum 01.jpg
A honey locust in Washington state shows its fall color
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [3]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Genus: Gleditsia
Species:
G. triacanthos
Binomial name
Gleditsia triacanthos
L.
Gleditsia triacanthos range map.jpg
Native range

The Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey Locust), 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. [4] 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. [4]

Contents

Description

The honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, can reach a height of 20–30 m (65–100 ft). They exhibit fast growth, but live a medium life span of about 120 years. [5] The leaves are pinnately compound on older trees but bipinnately compound on vigorous young trees. [4] The leaflets are 1.5–2.5 cm (1⁄2–1 in) (smaller on bipinnate leaves) and bright green. They turn yellow in the autumn. Honey locusts leaf out relatively late in spring, but generally slightly earlier than the black locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia ). The strongly scented, cream-colored flowers appear in late spring, in clusters emerging from the base of the leaf axils. The trees are polygamodioecious: most are strictly dioecious with male and female flowers on separate trees though some have bisexual flowers with a few male or female flowers on the same tree. [6]

The fruit of the honey locust is a flat legume (pod) that matures in early autumn. [4] The pods are generally between 15–20 cm (6–8 in). The seeds are dispersed by grazing herbivores such as cattle and horses, which eat the pod pulp and excrete the seeds in droppings; the animal's digestive system assists in breaking down the hard seed coat, making germination easier. In addition, the seeds are released in the host's manure, providing fertilizer for them. Honey locust seed pods ripen in late spring and germinate rapidly when temperatures are warm enough.[ clarification needed ]

Honey locusts commonly have thorns 3–10 cm (1–4 in) long growing out of the branches, some reaching lengths over 20 cm (8 in); these may be single, or branched into several points, and commonly form dense clusters. [4] The thorns are fairly soft and green when young, harden and turn red as they age, then fade to ash grey and turn brittle when mature. These thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing Pleistocene megafauna, which may also have been involved in seed dispersal, [7] but the size and spacing of them is less useful in defending against smaller extant herbivores such as deer. Thornless forms (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis) are occasionally found growing wild and are available as nursery plants. [4] Hybridization of honey locust with water locust (G. aquatica) has been reported. [8] [9]

Cultivation and history

Its cultivars are popular ornamental plants, especially in the northern plains of North America where few other trees can survive and prosper. It tolerates urban conditions, compacted soil, road salt, alkaline soil, heat, and drought. The popularity is in part due to the fact that it transplants so easily. The fast growth rate and tolerance of poor site conditions make it valued in areas where shade is wanted quickly, such as new parks or housing developments, and in disturbed and reclaimed environments, such as mine tailings. Cultivars with narrow upright growth habit, such as Northern Sentinel, are especially prized as street trees. It is resistant to spongy moths but is defoliated by another pest, the mimosa webworm. Spider mites, cankers, and galls are a problem with some trees. Many cultivated varieties do not have thorns.

Agriculture

The species is a major invasive environmental and economic weed in agricultural regions of Australia. The plant forms thickets and destroys the pasture required for livestock to survive. The thickets choke waterways and prevent both domestic and native animals from drinking and also harbour vermin. The spines cause damage to both people and domestic and native wildlife and puncture vehicle tires. [10] [11] In much of the Midwest of the United States the honey locust is also considered a weed tree and a pest that establishes itself in farm fields. [12] In other regions of the world, ranchers and farmers who employ monocropping deem honey locust a nuisance weed; its fast growth allows it to out-compete grasses and other crops.

Uses

Food

Unripe honey locust pods Unripe honey locust pods.jpg
Unripe honey locust pods

The pulp on the inside of the pods is edible [13] (unlike the black locust, which is toxic) [14] and consumed by wildlife and livestock. [13]

Despite its name, the honey locust is not a significant honey plant. [4] The name derives from the sweet taste of the legume pulp, which was used for food and traditional medicine by Native American people, and can also be used to make tea. [4] The long pods, which eventually dry and ripen to brown or maroon, are surrounded in a tough, leathery skin that adheres strongly to the pulp within. The pulp—bright green in unripe pods—is strongly sweet, crisp and succulent in ripe pods. Dark brown tannin-rich beans are found in slots within the pulp. Likewise, its edible seed has nutritional potential, and the flour made from its cotyledons constitutes a food source with various potential uses for pastry and bakery, among other gastronomic uses. [15]

Timber

Gleditsia triacanthos Gleditsia triacanthos MHNT.BOT.2006.0.1274.JPG
Gleditsia triacanthos

Honey locusts produce a high quality, durable wood that polishes well, but the tree does not grow in sufficient numbers to support a bulk industry. However, a niche market exists for honey locust furniture. It is also used for posts and rails because of the dense, rot-resistant nature of the wood. In the past, the hard thorns of the younger trees were used as nails and the wood itself was used to fashion treenails for shipbuilding.[ citation needed ]

Nitrogen fixation

The ability of Gleditsia to fix nitrogen is disputed. Many scientific sources [16] [17] [18] state that Gleditsia does not fix nitrogen. Some support this statement with the fact that Gleditsia does not form root nodules with symbiotic bacteria, the assumption being that without nodulation, no nitrogen fixation can occur. In contrast, many popular sources, permaculture publications in particular, claim that Gleditsia does fix nitrogen but by some other mechanism.[ citation needed ]

There are anatomical, ecological, and taxonomic indications of nitrogen fixation in non-nodulating legumes. [19] Both nodulating and non-nodulating species have been observed to grow well in nitrogen-poor soil with non-nodulating legumes even dominating some sites. The litter and seeds of non-nodulating species contain levels of nitrogen higher than non-legumes and sometimes even higher than nodulating legumes growing on the same site. [20] How this happens is not yet well understood but there have been some observations of nitrogenase activity in non-nodulating leguminous plants, including honey locust. [19] Electron microscopy indicates the presence of clusters around the inner cortex of roots, just outside the xylem, that resemble colonies of rhizobial bacterioids. [19] These may well constitute the evolutionary precursors in legumes for nitrogen fixation through nodulation. It is not known whether the non-nodulating nitrogen fixation, if it exists, benefits neighboring plants as is said to be the case with nodulating legumes.

Research

In research using databases, more than 60 phytochemicals were identified from honey locust, including polyphenols, triterpenes, sterols, and saponins, with in vitro studies assessing for possible biological activity. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabaceae</span> Family of legume flowering plants

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, are a large and agriculturally important family of flowering plants. It includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit (legume) and their compound, stipulate leaves. The family is widely distributed, and is the third-largest land plant family in number of species, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with about 765 genera and nearly 20,000 known species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhizobia</span> Nitrogen fixing soil bacteria

Rhizobia are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). To express genes for nitrogen fixation, rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen. In general, they are gram negative, motile, non-sporulating rods.

<i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> Species of tree native to North America

Robinia pseudoacacia, commonly known in its native territory as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to a few small areas of the United States, but it has been widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in temperate North America, Europe, Southern Africa and Asia and is considered an invasive species in some areas, such as the temperate east coast of Australia where the cultivar 'Frisia'(Golden Robinia) was widely planted as a street tree before being classed as a weed. Another common name is false acacia, a literal translation of the specific name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legume</span> Plant in the family Fabaceae

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock forage and silage, and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, grass peas, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carob</span> Small tree grown for its edible pods and landscaping

The carob is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and landscapes. The carob tree is native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Portugal is the largest producer of carob, followed by Italy and Morocco.

<i>Gleditsia</i> Genus of legumes

Gleditsia is a genus of trees in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae, native to the Americas and Asia. The Latin name commemorates Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch, director of the Berlin Botanical Garden, who died in 1786.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Root nodule</span> Plant part

Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, primarily legumes, that form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known as rhizobia. This process has evolved multiple times within the legumes, as well as in other species found within the Rosid clade. Legume crops include beans, peas, and soybeans.

Locust tree can mean:

<i>Dalea searlsiae</i> Species of legume

Dalea searlsiae, commonly known as Searls' prairie clover, is a perennial legume species belonging to the Dalea genus. The species is found through arid regions of the southwestern United States and can survive in low moisture conditions. The species forms symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can improve soil nutrient levels. Its large inflorescence attracts many species of pollinators, and it lacks toxins found in similar legume species. As a result, the species has been considered for use in rangeland restoration and revegetation projects.

<i>Caragana arborescens</i> Species of flowering plant

Caragana arborescens, the Siberian peashrub, Siberian pea-tree, or caragana, is a species of legume native to Siberia and parts of China and neighboring Mongolia and Kazakhstan. It was taken to the United States by Eurasian immigrants, who used it as a food source while travelling west. In some areas of the United States it is considered an invasive species. Introduced on the Canadian prairies in the 1880's, the hardy caragana provided shelter-belts, wildlife habitat, nitrogen fixation, and wind-breaks to prevent soil erosion and snow drifting.

<i>Bradyrhizobium</i> Genus of bacteria

Bradyrhizobium is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria, many of which fix nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is an important part of the nitrogen cycle. Plants cannot use atmospheric nitrogen (N2); they must use nitrogen compounds such as nitrates.

<i>Inga edulis</i> Species of tree

Inga edulis, known as ice-cream bean, ice-cream-bean, joaquiniquil, cuaniquilguama or guaba, is a fruit native to South America. It is in the mimosoid tribe of the legume family Fabaceae. It is widely grown, especially by Indigenous Amazonians, for shade, food, timber, medicine, and production of the alcoholic beverage cachiri. It is popular in Peru, Ecuador, Pernambuco-Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana and Colombia. The taxonomic name Inga is derived from its name with the Tupí people of South America (ingá) while the species name edulis is Latin for "edible". The common name "ice-cream bean" alludes to the sweet flavor and smooth texture of the pulp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhizobacteria</span> Group of bacteria affecting plant growth

Rhizobacteria are root-associated bacteria that can have a detrimental, neutral or beneficial effect on plant growth. The name comes from the Greek rhiza, meaning root. The term usually refers to bacteria that form symbiotic relationships with many plants (mutualism). Rhizobacteria are often referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, or PGPRs. The term PGPRs was first used by Joseph W. Kloepper in the late 1970s and has become commonly used in scientific literature.

<i>Gleditsia aquatica</i> Species of legume

Gleditsia aquatica, commonly called water locust or swamp locust after its habitat of river swamps and slough margins, is a tree native to the Southeastern United States and adjacent regions.

<i>Gleditsia sinensis</i> Species of legume

Gleditsia sinensis, known as zào jiá (皂荚) or Chinese honey locust and black locust in English, is a species of flowering plant native to Asia.

Actinorhizal plants are a group of angiosperms characterized by their ability to form a symbiosis with the nitrogen fixing actinomycetota Frankia. This association leads to the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules.

<i>Laburnum alpinum</i> Species of plant

Laburnum alpinum, the Scotch laburnum, Scottish laburnum or alpine laburnum, is a leguminous, (Leguminosae), deciduous tree.

Sesbania rostrata is a small semi-aquatic leguminous tree, in the genus Sesbania. It forms a symbiotic relationship with Gram-negative rhizobia which leads to the formation of nitrogen fixing nodules on both stem and roots. It is mainly used as green manure to improve soil fertility due to its fast growth, high biomass production and ability to convert large amounts of atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for plants. Other applications include production of high quality forage for livestock and it is a source of fuel-wood.

<i>Parkia filicoidea</i> Species of legume

Parkia filicoidea, or African locust bean, is a large, spreading flat-crowned tree to 30 metres tall, the bole of which may be narrowly buttressed to a height of about 3 metres, and up to 120 cm DBH. It occurs in wet evergreen or semi-deciduous forest, sometimes on forest fringes, riverbanks and lakes, termite mounds, at elevations up to 1000 metres from Côte d’Ivoire, east to Sudan and Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Bark on trunk scaly or smooth, grey to yellow-brown, branchlets glabrous to puberulous.

Argyrolobium uniflorum is a wild pluriannual herbaceous species of drought tolerant legume found in arid regions of Northern Africa sometimes described as pseudo-savannah. A. uniflorum is a hardy wild species of plant and it is considered a valuable forage crop for agriculture in Africa. It is also useful as a potentially important species in bioremediation and dryland restoration in arid regions of Tusinia which are sensitive to misappropriation and overgrazing.

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, A. L.; Mohr, Charles Theodore; Coville, Frederick Vernon; Sudworth, George B. (1895). "Forest Growth and Sheep Grazing in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon".
  2. ↑ Stritch, L. (2018). "Gleditsia triacanthos". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T62026061A62026063. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T62026061A62026063.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)". CABI. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Nesom, Guy. "Honey Locust" (PDF). USDA.gov Plant Guide. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "Honey Locust (Gleditisia triacanthos L.)". Towson University Glen Arboretum.
  7. ↑ "Honeylocusts and Mastodons". bygl.osu.edu. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  8. ↑ Schneck, J. (1904). "Hybridization in the Honey Locust". The Plant World. 7 (10): 252–253. ISSN   0096-8307. JSTOR   43476409.
  9. ↑ Sullivan, J. (1994). "Gleditsia triacanthos". U.S. Forest Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Gleditsia triacanthos". Weeds in Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Gleditsia triacanthos". weeds.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  12. ↑ Barlow C. (2001). "Anachronistic fruits and the ghosts who haunt them" (PDF). Arnoldia. 61 (2): 14–21.
  13. 1 2 Little, Elbert L. (1994) [1980]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Chanticleer Press ed.). Knopf. p. 495. ISBN   0394507614.
  14. ↑ "Toxicity of Black Locust". www.woodweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Calfunao Antivil, Rosario (31 December 2011). "Characterization of the technological properties of flour of acacia thorns three (Gleditsia triacanthos L.)". CORE (in Spanish and English). Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Burton JC. "Nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation by prairie legumes" (PDF). In Zimmerman JH. (ed.). Proceedings, 2nd Midwest Prairie Conference.
  17. ↑ Allen, ON; Allen, EK (1981). The Leguminosae: A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses, and Nodulation. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 812. ISBN   978-0-299-08400-4.
  18. ↑ Djumaeva D, Lamers JP, Martius C, Khamzina A, Ibragimov N, Vlek PL (2010). "Quantification of symbiotic nitrogen fixation by Elaeagnus angustifolia L. on salt-affected irrigated croplands using two 15N isotopic methods". Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 88 (3): 329–339. Bibcode:2010NCyAg..88..329D. doi:10.1007/s10705-010-9357-5. S2CID   8129669.
  19. 1 2 3 Bryan JA, Berlyn GP, Gordo JC (1996). "Toward a new concept of the evolution of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in the Leguminosae". Plant and Soil. 186 (1): 151–159. Bibcode:1996PlSoi.186..151B. doi:10.1007/BF00035069. S2CID   42530237.
  20. ↑ Bryan J. (1995). Leguminous trees with edible beans, with indications of a rhizobial symbiosis in non-nodulating legumes (Ph.D.). Yale University. Docket UMI95-41400.
  21. ↑ Zhang, J. P.; Tian, X. H.; Yang, Y. X.; Liu, Q. X.; Wang, Q; Chen, L. P.; Li, H. L.; Zhang, W. D. (2016). "Gleditsia species: An ethnomedical, phytochemical and pharmacological review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 178: 155–71. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.11.044. PMID   26643065.

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