honey locust

honey locust
a thorny North American tree, Gleditsia triacanthos, of the legume family, having small, compound leaves and pods with a sweet pulp. Also called black locust, three-thorned acacia.
[1735-45, Amer.]

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▪ tree genus
 any of the thorny trees of the genus Gleditsia, in the pea family (Fabaceae), with about 12 species native to North and South America, tropical Africa, and central and eastern Asia. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals, such as G. triacanthos of North America. This tree grows to about 40 metres (about 130 feet) high but is generally lower under cultivation. It bears long compound leaves divided into as many as 30 oval leaflets, each of which is about 25 millimetres (about 1 inch) long. Some leaves may be doubly divided, in which case the leaflets are more numerous and smaller. The small, greenish white flowers are borne in clusters in the leaf axils. The fruit is a reddish brown, flattened pod, up to 45 centimetres (about 18 inches) long, sometimes sickle shaped and twisted. Brown, beanlike seeds lie within, separated by a sticky, sweet-tasting substance. The trunk and branches have clusters of stout, simple or branched thorns, 8 to 10 cm long.

      A thornless variety, Gleditsia triacanthos inermis, is a popular city tree, valued for its slender growth habit, lacy effect, and light, filtered shade. It has given rise to several horticultural variants including the Sunburst locust, with bright-yellow new growth at twig ends, and the Ruby Lace locust, with reddish new growth. Thornless strains called Moraine, Shademaster, and Imperial are horticultural improvements of the green type.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Honey locust — Honey Hon ey (h[u^]n [y^]), n. [OE. honi, huni, AS. hunig; akin to OS. honeg, D. & G. honig, OHG. honag, honang, Icel. hunang, Sw. h[*a]ning, Dan. honning, cf. Gr. ko nis dust, Skr. ka[.n]a grain.] 1. A sweet viscid fluid, esp. that collected by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • honey locust — Locust tree Lo cust tree . [Etymol. uncertain.] (Bot.) A large North American tree of the genus {Robinia} ({Robinia Pseudacacia}), producing large slender racemes of white, fragrant, papilionaceous flowers, and often cultivated as an ornamental… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Honey locust — Taxobox name = Honey locust image width = 250px image caption = Honey locust trunk regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Fabales familia = Fabaceae subfamilia = Caesalpinioideae genus = Gleditsia species = G.… …   Wikipedia

  • honey-locust — tridyglė gledičija statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Cezalpinijinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, medieninis, pašarinis, vaistinis augalas (Gleditsia triacanthos), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Gleditsia triacanthos angl. common honey …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • honey-locust — gledičija statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Cezalpinijinių (Caesalpiniaceae) šeimos augalų gentis (Gleditsia). atitikmenys: lot. Gleditsia angl. honey locust; locust; sweet locust vok. Christusdorn; Gleditschie; Schotenbaum; Schotendorn rus.… …   Dekoratyvinių augalų vardynas

  • Honey locust tree — Locust tree Lo cust tree . [Etymol. uncertain.] (Bot.) A large North American tree of the genus {Robinia} ({Robinia Pseudacacia}), producing large slender racemes of white, fragrant, papilionaceous flowers, and often cultivated as an ornamental… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • honey locust — /ˈhʌni loʊkəst/ (say hunee lohkuhst) noun 1. Also, locust. a tree, Gleditsia triacanthos, of North America, having pods with a sweet pulp. 2. → honey mesquite. 3. any of various other trees, usually having either sweet pods or durable timber …  

  • honey locust — noun tall usually spiny North American tree having small greenish white flowers in drooping racemes followed by long twisting seed pods; yields very hard durable reddish brown wood; introduced to temperate Old World • Syn: ↑Gleditsia triacanthos… …   Useful english dictionary

  • honey locust — noun Date: 1743 a tall usually spiny North American leguminous tree (Gleditsia triacanthos) with very hard wood and long twisted pods containing a sweet edible pulp and seeds that resemble beans …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • honey locust — noun A North American deciduous tree (Gleditsia triacanthos) having fragrant flowers and hard red wood …   Wiktionary

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