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Water Locust

Gleditsia aquatica

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in swamp forests, marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not scored

Native status unresolved in Louisiana. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
About 40 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
Mid summer
Fruiting season
July to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 40 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 140 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

40CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Gleditsia

  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-spotted Skipper
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Ascalapha odorataBlack Witch
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Catocala clintoniiClinton's Underwing
  • Catocala illectaMagdalen Underwing
  • Catocala innubensThe Betrothed
Show all 40
  • Catocala minutaLittle Underwing
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Digrammia ocellinataFaint-Spotted Angle
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Heliomata cycladataCommon Spring Moth, Stout Locust Looper
  • Heteropacha rileyanaRiley's Lappet Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Mellilla xanthometataOrange Wing
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
  • Pococera asperatellaMaple Webworm
  • Rudenia leguminanaBlack-Tipped Rudenia Moth
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spiloloma lunilineaMoon-Lined Moth
  • Syssphinx bicolorHoney Locust Moth
  • Syssphinx bisectaBisected Honey Locust Moth
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tlascala reductellaTlascala Moth, Honey Locust Leafroller
  • Uresiphita reversalisGenista Caterpillar, Genista Cbroom Moth
  • Zale undularisBlack Zale
  • Pococera humerella
  • Sinoe robiniella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankNot available
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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Sources