telling locust

[robbsbass]

In the area where I live locust trees are very common, but my question is, how do you tell one from another, example black from honey, and are their more.
I live just about 40 miles outside Detroit off 401 hwy.

         Robb

[Hillbilly]

Black locust has deeply furrowed bark, no thorns onthe trunk (except for small saplings). Honey locust has a smoother, more plate-like bark with big thorns all up and down the trunk. Honey locust thorns are round, and can be several inches long with smaller thorns forking off the main thorns. Black locust thorns are not true thorns, they're triangular-shaped prickles. Mature black locust trees only have thorns on the young twigs, sometimes none in the case of old trees. Black locust trees have simple compound leaves, honey locust leaves are bipinnately compound. Honey locust seed pods are really big, sometimes a foot long. Black locust pods are smaller, only a couple inches in length.

[Papa Matt]

All of what he just said, plus black locust trees are usually taller when adult. Also the smaller diameter limbs of honey locust are more zig zag. Black locust's small limbs are crooked too, but not really in a zig zag back and forth pattern. One other note is, honey locust is also planted as an ornamental tree along city sidewalks and such, and when it is planted in this way, it is a hybrid version that DOES NOT have any thorns, but in all other aspects looks just like its wild cousin.

p.s. If you take a foto we could tell you in a split second if it's Honey or Black. And in this country, I don't think there are any other kinds.

~~Papa Matt

[snedeker]

The common name Locust is misleading.  They are not related other than being in the same family. A relationship as close as Beech and Oak.  Black locust is more widely used as bow wood.

Dave

[robbsbass]

Thanks guys as usual you came through, the ones I'm seeing around here right now must be the ornamental type, but some have yellow leaves and some green, and no thorns and that includes the ones is the bush near where our trailer is. Are they still good for making a bow?

                Robb

[Hillbilly]

Should work just like regular honey locust. As Papa Matt said, there are several ornamental cultivars of var. inermis that are thornless, but most still have the big seed pods.There is a cultivar called "Sunburst" that has yellow leaves all year. If they are trees that have been planted, that's probably what they are. Wild honey locusts have the big thorns.

[robbsbass]

Thanks again, that answers alot of questions.

   Robb

[sailordad]

its easy to tell locust, you just cant tell it much because it has a short memory lol


ok so i am feeling a little like a smart a#@   tonight,sorry