This past spring, prompted by its display of tiny, fragrant flowers, we discussed the history of the arboretum's honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos). In 2013, we collected seeds but incorrectly identified the source as a black locust. These were germinated in the campus greenhouse and one specimen was planted in the arboretum in April of 2015. It has now been a decade since the seeds were collected, and this year, we have our first fruits.
During this past summer, we observed pods growing on the tree. They were high up, on the upper branches, far out of reach. This week, two fruits were incidentally discovered on the ground. One pod was found under a nearby groundsel bush, and then we picked up another pod directly under the honey locust, next to its trunk. What luck! These two fruits are shown in the photos below.
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| Honey locusts produce long, leguminous fruits. The two pods in the above photograph are ripe. They each measure between six inches to one foot in length. They are black, twisted, bumpy, hard and the seeds could be heard rattling inside their individual cells. It is said that honey locust pods have a sweet pulp, but nothing on the interior of these ripe fruits suggested sweetness; perhaps, in order to experience the honey of the honey locust, the fruits need to be collected before desiccation. |
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| From two pods, 19 seeds were collected. The seeds are brown, with an oval shape, and measure more than ¼ inch in length. |
So, within a decade, the honey locust has developed from a seed into a very tall tree that is now producing fruit. That's rapid development!
