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Honey Locust

Gleditsia triacanthos

Found in woodlands, forests (generally bottomland), fencerows, often planted as a street tree. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

50
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
60–80 feet
Spread
60–80 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April and June
Fruiting season
July to November

Recorded in 78 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

42CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Gleditsia

  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-spotted Skipper
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Agonopterix robiniellaFour-Dotted Agonopterix Moth, Locust Leaffolder
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Catocala clintoniiClinton's Underwing
  • Catocala illectaMagdalen Underwing
  • Catocala innubensThe Betrothed
Show all 42
  • 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
  • Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Mellilla xanthometataOrange Wing
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
  • Pandemis lamprosanaWoodgrain Leafroller
  • 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
  • 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)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Flies 1
  • Rhamphomyia mutabilis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow or green
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
November

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “April to early June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 3a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “60–80 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards differs)
  • Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards differs)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “60–80 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources