Outstanding Features:
Fine textured foliage casts dappled shade.

Description:
Height: 40-60'
Width: 40-60'
Hardiness Zone: 3b-4b depending on cultivar.

Thornless Honeylocust is an attractive shade tree. It has pinnately or bipinnately compound leaves. The numerous small leaflets are medium green in color and give the tree a fine texture. Form is round to widespreading and is somewhat irregular in growth. The crown is fairly open, and coupled with the fine foliage texture, provides light shade. This allows turf to be grown successfully underneath the tree. Fall foliage color is yellow. Fruit is a brown, twisted pod 8-15" long and about an inch wide. Most of the cultivars are fruitless. Thornless Honeylocust has been widely planted in residential and urban settings.

Requirements and Culture:
Prefers a good fertile loam soil with ample moisture. Adaptable to a wide range of soils and environmental conditions. Fairly salt tolerant. Full sun. Always choose the thornless variety of Honeylocust, since the regular species has many long, dangerous thorns on its trunk and branches.

Limitations:
Susceptible to several canker diseases, especially following transplanting and when otherwise under stress. Webworm, spider mites, pod gall midge, and honeylocust plant bug can seriously damage the foliage.

Selected Cultivars:

Halka^TM - is a relatively new cultivar that has not been thoroughly tested for winter hardiness in the upper midwest but appears promising at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. It grows vigorously with a horizontal branching structure and a broad rounded crown. It does produce some pods.

`Imperial' - has a compact rounded crown with a wide branching habit. Has a more formal shape than most cultivars of Honeylocust. Slightly less hardy than `Skyline'

`Moraine' - is one of the first selected varieties. It has a rounded crown with vase shaped branching structure. It has an irregular form and often requires staking when young to develop a straight trunk.

`Shademaster' - has a rounded crown with upright, vase shaped branch habit. Has a straight trunk and grows rapidly.

`Skyline' - has a good symmetrical form with a broadly pyramidal crown and spreading to upright branching habit. Has very good yellow fall color. It is probably the most widely planted cultivar. Hardier than most other cultivars.

`Summer Lace' - is a fast growing cultivar with light green new foliage that becomes darker green as it matures.

Sunburst^TM - has bright yellow new growth. Has a broad oval crown with a very irregular growth habit. Requires staking when young to develop a straight trunk. Very susceptible to nectria canker.

Photo Credit: 1 K. Warren; 2 MLA. Photo 1 is `Skyline'.

Photo Credit: 3 Bailey Nurseries, Inc.; 4 MLA. Photo 3 is Halka, 4 is Sunburst^TM.

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