QA

Quick Answer: How To Identify Locust Trees

How can you tell a honey locust tree?

Honey locust trees have a short or arched main trunk shape, and the branches and stems grow off it in zig-zag formation like that of the black locust tree. So although the growth patterns are similar, if the trunk of a tree you are working to identify is arched, that tree must be a honey locust tree.

What are the characteristics of a locust tree?

Locusts are deciduous and bear long compound leaves with up to 21 oblong leaflets. Many species are armed with thorns. The flowers are often showy and fragrant and hang in loose clusters. The fruits are long flattened legumes.

What is the difference between black locust and yellow locust?

The black locust is also known as the false acacia or yellow locust and there are about 10 species. While the black locust tree is a native of the south eastern US, the honey locust tree is native to central eastern region. One can also tell the two trees apart by just looking at the bark.

How much is a locust tree worth?

Prices for these products range from $1 – $3 per linear foot for whole posts, and from $1.50 – $3.50/board foot for milled lumber, which is far above the prices for most conventional hardwood lumber.

What type of locust tree has thorns?

The native species of honey-locust has large thorns on its stems and bark. For this reason, thornless honey-locust is most commonly sold.

Why do locust trees have thorns?

These thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing Pleistocene megafauna, which may also have been involved in seed dispersal, but the size and spacing of them is less useful in defending against smaller extant herbivores such as deer.

What does the leaves on a honey locust tree look like?

Features pinnately or bipinnately compound leaves approximately 8″ long with 8–14 leaflets. They are among the last leaves to emerge in the spring. Produces small, greenish-yellow blossoms arranged around spike-like stalks that are notably fragrant.

Is locust a good firewood?

All things considered, Black Locust is excellent firewood to work with. Especially when seasoned properly, Black Locust has lower moisture content levels, burns hotter, burns longer, and creates great coals. It also has very little smell.

How do you tell a black locust from a honey locust?

Honey locusts can be distinguished from Black Locusts by their longer, widespread thorns and longer seedpods. The bark of the two trees is also quite different in color and shape, and the Black Locusts flowers are large, showy white clusters, while those of the Honey Locust are creamy and insignificant.

Is locust wood good for anything?

Common Uses: Fence posts, boatbuilding, flooring, furniture, mine timbers, railroad ties, turned objects, and veneer. Comments: Black Locust is a very hard and strong wood, competing with Hickory (Carya genus) as the strongest and stiffest domestic timber: but with more stability and rot resistance.

What tree is worth the most money?

An African Black Ebony tree from Gabon could be worth a million dollars, if you can find one. Due to its high value many species of Black Ebony are now extinct or on the verge of extinction. The Paulownia may currently be the world’s most valuable sustainably harvested hardwood tree.

How much is a 20 year old black walnut tree worth?

If you have a Walnut tree that has fully or considerably grown up and is in a suitable condition with approximately 20 inches, it would be worth 700 to 800 dollars. The diameter of the tree has a major impact on the tree’s worth.

Do all honey locust have thorns?

Do all honey locust trees have thorns? Though native honey locust trees are typically densely covered in long, tough thorns, horticulturalists developed thornless honey locust varieties. While they almost always remain thornless, these domesticated varieties have the ability to produce thorns in rare cases.

Do locust tree have thorns?

Members of the pea family, locust trees produce large clusters of pea-like flowers that bloom in spring, followed by long pods. Except for a few thornless honey locust varieties, locust trees have fierce thorns that grow in pairs along the trunk and lower branches.

Are locust tree thorns poisonous?

Toxic Tree All parts of a black locust are extremely toxic and can cause severe stomach pain or death in children, pets and livestock if eaten. The thorns that grow in pairs below the leaves serve as protection for the tree, but can be potentially dangerous in your yard.

What does the fruit of a honey locust look like?

The fruit is a reddish brown flattened pod, up to 45 cm (about 18 inches) long, sometimes sickle-shaped and twisted. Thornless varieties are common city trees, valued for their slender growth habit, lacy effect, and light, filtered shade. Leaves and pods of the common honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos).

How do you get rid of locust thorns?

Glyphosate, or Roundup, can also be sprayed on black locust foliage while the trees are still growing. Spray heavily, but not heavy enough that it begins to drip off the black locust tree onto other plants, as glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide. It kills everything it touches.

How do you identify trees?

The starting point for most people when identifying trees species is the leaves. There are three basic leaf types: needles, scales and broadleaf. Most evergreens have needles or scales, while most broadleaf trees are deciduous, meaning they drop their leaves when dormant.