The star-crossed honeylocust. (In Profile).The story of the native honeylocust's (Gleditsia spp.) rise in America has more twists than a John Grisham novel. Also called the sweet locust locust, in botany locust, in botany, any species of the genus Robinia, deciduous trees or shrubs of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) native to the United States and Mexico. , thorn tree, three-thorned acacia, and honey shucks shuck n. 1. a. A husk, pod, or shell, as of a pea, hickory nut, or ear of corn. b. The shell of an oyster or clam. 2. Informal Something worthless. , the tree seemed destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. to be an agricultural star in the 1920s when USDA USDA, n.pr See United States Department of Agriculture. researchers determined that its seed pods offered a valuable option for cattle and pig fodder. At that time, one acre of honeylocust trees could produce almost twice the volume in fodder of one acre of corn or oats oats, cereal plants of the genus Avena of the family Gramineae (grass family). Most species are annuals of moist temperate regions. The early history of oats is obscure, but domestication is considered to be recent compared to that of the other . It also contained two to three times the sugar content of sugar cane or sugar beets--think sugared cereal for cows. Honeylocust seemed to offer an opportunity for a cost-effective, superior feed for livestock, and serious energy was spent in the 1930s trying to breed the best of the species for agriculture. Four or five acres of test trees were planted across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, in Arlington, Virginia. But problems cropped up in the 1940s and doomed the honeylocust's future in agriculture. The test field became the Pentagon. After World War II, the USDA and American farmers shifted to using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, vastly increasing yields of row crops and rendering the honeylocust unable to compete. HOMEOWNERS TO THE RESCUE At this same time, though, the common honeylocust began to be eyed as a possible home landscape tree. The key to its potential popularity could be summed up by the adjective "thornless." Most native honeylocust species have serious thorns on their roots, trunks, and branches, hut the nursery industry cast an approving eye on the thornless common variety (Gleditsia triacanthos), specifically the variation called 'Inermis." Easy to care for and possessing good resistance to insects and disease, this honeylocust had lovely foliage and flourished in a wide range of soil types. These attributes made it a natural, and the common honeylocust became a popular ornamental replacement for the disappearing American elm. (Elms were dying of the still-incurable Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease: see diseases of plants; elm. Dutch elm disease Widespread disease that kills elms, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis ulmi. It was first identified in the U.S. .) Because thornless honeylocust are adaptable to urban conditions, they have frequently been used as street trees. But popularity is a two-way street, and an overabundance o·ver·a·bun·dance n. A going or being beyond what is needed, desired, or appropriate; an excess: teenagers with an overabundance of energy. of the trees in some areas has led to increasing insect and disease problems. Common honeylocusts are fast growers--between 2 and 2.5 feet per year during the first 20 years--and spread as wide as they are tall. Horizontally growing branches give them a tiered and flat-topped look. They reach maturity at 100 to 125 years. Honeylocusts are deciduous deciduous /de·cid·u·ous/ (de-sid´u-us) falling off or shed at maturity, as the teeth of the first dentition. de·cid·u·ous adj. 1. , so they lose their leaves in autumn. Foliage emerges in spring, usually late May, as many elongated e·lon·gate tr. & intr.v. e·lon·gat·ed, e·lon·gat·ing, e·lon·gates To make or grow longer. adj. or elongated 1. Made longer; extended. 2. Having more length than width; slender. , oval leaflets arranged opposite each other along 8-inch stems. There might be as many as 20 to 30 leaflets on a stem, with some trees having double leaves. But because the foliage is so lacy and light, honeylocusts do not give much shade. New leaves are light green, turning yellow-green during the summer, and then scarlet in early autumn, making a gorgeous display when backed up by large still-green trees. Females of the species produce fruit in the form of seed pods that are 10 to 15 inches long, depending on the species. Male and female honeylocust flowers both bloom in June. They emerge in separate clusters on the same tree. The most obvious are the yellow-green clusters of male flowers, called catkins. They hang about 2 inches or more long and give way in late July to bean-like, flat pods that hang 12 inches or more from the tree. These purplish-brown pods persist until mid-January when they finally drop. Honeylocust wood is strong, hard, and durable. With its natural shock resistance and attractive reddish-brown grain, it's used for fence posts, general construction, pallets, crating, and railroad ties. HONEYLOCUST CHOICES You can produce honeylocust trees by budding with scionwood taken from the thornless upper branches of selected cultivars, however, these seedlings will be thorny. Among the thornless varieties, "Inermis" is a spreading, rounded tree that can grow to be 100 feet tall with a spread of up to 70 feet. Flowers are inconspicuous, but the long, pea-like pods develop in the late summer and persist into late autumn, sometimes dangling from the branches into early winter. Autumn color is a warm, golden yellow. The following honeylocust varieties do not produce seed pods: * "Cottage Green": semi-upright; seed less. * Halka": a strong, vigorous tree; occasionally produces fruit. * "Imperial": symmetrical and corn pact, broad crown. * Majestic": upright * Moraine moraine (mərān`), a formation composed of unsorted and unbedded rock and soil debris called till, which was deposited by a glacier. The till that falls on the sides of a valley glacier from the bounding cliffs makes up lateral moraines, ": an early cultivar cultivar Any variety of a plant, originating through cloning or hybridization (see clone, hybrid), known only in cultivation. In asexually propagated plants, a cultivar is a clone considered valuable enough to have its own name; in sexually propagated plants, a ; standard; deep green foliage turns to yellow in autumn; a favorite of municipal arborists. * "Shademaster": an old reliable; good form, ascending branches; virtually no pods although can begin developing them after 15 years. * "Skyline": erect, pyramidal, with good autumn color. * "Sunburst": smaller and more com pact than others of the species, this tree is fast-growing and will reach 30 to 40 feet with a crown spread of 25 to 30 feet; bright yellow leaves emerge in spring and mature to light green by summer. IN THE YARD Honeylocust is fairly resistant to salt, drought, soil compaction, heat, and disease, which makes it a good choice for specimen trees in the yard or garden. Because honeylocust provides very light shade, it's possible to grow grass or flowers under it with little problem. Honeylocust also makes an apt screen along property lines or can be used as a windbreak windbreak a physical obstruction to the passage of the wind, usually in the form of a line or copse of tall bushes or low trees or a porous fence. Of very great importance in temperate climates and periods of cold, wet, windy weather. at the edges of fields. The trees are appropriate for parks, but the thorny varieties should be avoided because of the potential hazard they can pose to children and animals. If you enjoy flower arranging, the dried pods of the "Inermis" variety make wonderful material. Also, the pods tend to rattle on the trees in the winter wind, giving the tree some extra interest. CARE SHEET Honeylocusts grow best in full sun but tolerate light shade. Their natural habitat is rocky hillsides, open or wooded pastures, fence rows, and around abandoned fields where they serve as windbreaks in the Midwest. They prefer well-drained soil--either fine sandy clay or heavy loam loam, soil composed of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter in evenly mixed particles of various sizes. More fertile than sandy soils, loam is not stiff and tenacious like clay soils. Its porosity allows high moisture retention and air circulation. that is slightly acid to neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.5)--but will grow in almost any soil so long as it's not too wet or acidic. The trees should be planted in spring or autumn. They grow throughout the Midwest from the Gulf of Mexico Noun 1. Gulf of Mexico - an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico Golfo de Mexico Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east (zone 9) north to the southern Michigan border and east up into New England (zone 4). They can withstand winter temperatures that dip to -20 degrees F. or more. This tree needs no special care over and above normal pruning of damaged limbs and watering during drought. Note, though, that it has become more vulnerable to insect and disease problems because it is so frequently planted. Of these pests, the mimosa webworm is the most serious, especially for thornless varieties. Other pests include gypsy moth caterpillars, gall midge midge, name for any of numerous minute, fragile flies in several families. The family Chironomidae consists of about 2,000 species, most of which are widely distributed. The herbivorous larvae are found in all freshwaters; the larvae of some species live in saltwater. , and scale. While relatively disease-free in their natural habitat in the wild, cultivated honeylocusts are sometimes victims of a canker canker, small sore on the inside of the mouth. A canker appears as a shallow, whitish ulcer surrounded by a thin, red area. It is tender, sometimes painful, and may occur singly or as one of a group of sores. disease caused by a fungus and linked to drought stress. There is some suspicion that cankers, or sores, may also be caused by pruning wounds or sunburn sunburn, inflammation of the skin caused by actinic rays from the sun or artificial sources. Moderate exposure to ultraviolet radiation is followed by a red blush, but severe exposure may result in blisters, pain, and constitutional symptoms. . CURRENT STATUS The honeylocust has been on a roller coaster ride of potential and real stardom over the last 80 years or so. Interestingly, two common honeylocusts on the East Coast are duking it out for stardom of a different sort. The national champion common honeylocust--the one AMERICAN FORESTS judges to be the biggest based on a formula of its height, circumference, and crown spread--is located in Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. It is a part of the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Area, and is often recognized as part of Western Maryland. (see statistics on page 49 or www.americanforests.org for more on AMERICAN FORESTS' National Register of Big Trees The National Register of Big Trees is a list of the largest living specimens of each tree variety found in the continental United States. A tree on this list is often called a National Champion Tree. ). Maryland's tree is being challenged for that title by another monster honeylocust in Virginia. Which will win the crown? Stay tuned for the 2004 National Register of Big Trees, due out next spring. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , if you live in an area where the honeylocust is not so very common, you might consider planting this true landscape star. THE NATIONAL CHAMP Location: Frederick County, Maryland Circumference at 4.5 feet: 226 in. Height: 100 feet Crown spread: 88 feet Total points: 348 Nominator: Gary Schmidt The National Register of Big Trees is sponsored by The Davey Tree Expert Company. "Yardening" expert Jeff Ball writes from his home in Attica, Michigan. |
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