The genus Gleditsia contains about 14 species native to the warm temperate and tropical regions. There are two species in North America, which hybridize. All species look alike with respect to wood anatomy. The word gleditsia is a Latinized name, honoring Johann Gottleib Gleditsch (1714–1786), director of the Berlin Botanic Garden.
Gleditsia triacanthos common honeylocust, confederate
pintree, honey, honeylocust, honeyshucks, shucks honeylocust,
squeak-bean, sweet-bean,
sweetlocust, thornlocust, thorn-tree, thorny acacia, thornylocust,
three-thorned locust
Gleditsia aquatica blacklocust, honeylocust, swamp waterlocust, waterlocust
Distribution: The range of honeylocust extends from Pennsylvania west to South Dakota, Nebraska, south to Texas, east to Alabama and Georgia, northeast along the Appalachians to Pennsylvania.
The Tree: Honeylocust trees can reach heights of
80 ft (24 m), with a diameter of
3 ft (1 m).
General Wood Characteristics: The sapwood of honeylocust is yellowish and wide, while the heartwood is light red to reddish brown. The wood has no characteristic odor or taste. It is very heavy and very hard, tough, strong, with a high luster. The texture is moderately coarse, with straight to irregular grain.
Weighta
Weight
Moisture Specific lb/ft3 kg/m3
content gravity
Green 0.60 61 977
12% NA NA NA
Ovendry 0.67 NA NA
aReferences: green specific gravity (98),
weight (59),
ovendry specific gravity (59).
Mechanical propertiesa
Property Green Dry
MOE 1.29 106 8.894 GPa 1.63 106 11.239 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 10.2 103 70.329 MPa 14.7 103 101.357
lbf/in2 lbf/in2 MPa
C| | 4.42 103 30.476 MPa 7.50 103 51.713 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 1.15 103 7.929 MPa 1.84 103 12.687 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 12.6 86.877 kJ/m3 13.3 91.704
in-lbf/in3 in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3
Hardness 1,390 lbf 6,182.72 N 1,580 lbf 7,027.84 N
Shear| | 1.66 103 11.445 MPa 2.25 103 15.513 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
aReference (98).
Drying and shrinkagea
Percentage of shrinkage
(green to final moisture
content)
Type of 0% MC 6% MC 20% MC
shrinkage
Tangential 6.6 5.3 2.2
Radial 4.2 3.4 1.4
Volumetric 10.8 8.6 3.6
aReferences: 0% MC, (98); 6% and 20%
MC, (90).
Kiln Drying Schedule: No information available at this time.
Working Properties: Honeylocust is not easy to work, but it finishes smoothly.
Durability: Rated as moderately resistant to heartwood decay.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Fence posts and rails, general construction, furniture, interior trim.
Toxicity: No information available at this time.
Additional Reading: 29, 33, 55, 68, 74. 55, 66, 68, 74, 79. 28, 29, 42, 43, 44, 48, 50, 55, 56, 68, 72, 73, 74, 79, 92, 97, 102. 74, 75, 77, 99, 106. 101.