# What does a locust tree look like??



## I LOVE FIREWOOD (Oct 3, 2008)

What does a locust tree look like? any pictures please?


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## clawmute (Oct 3, 2008)

Black Locust and Honey Locust are the primary two Locusts.

This link tells about the black Locust, with a map of it's primary range.
http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/blloc.htm

Honey Locust is easy to identify because of the quantity and size of the thorn bundles that grow from it's trunk. I have a large one down now that I hope to harvest. High waters in the river bottom took it down. Beware, the thorns are nasty - some as long as 8" or more - and will give you a bad infection if you get punched. Had one cut out of my left leg. They will also flatten your tires! visit the below site for description and map of range.

When I'm working with Honey Locust. I first cut off the thorn bundles with a hand ax and get them out of the area. Fixing tractor flats is no real joy. There is also a thornless Honey Locust that is planted as a landscaping tree. see: http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?id=24

http://www.washington.edu/home/treetour/hlocust.html

Honey Locust?


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## ken45 (Oct 3, 2008)

Yes, as clawmute shows, honeylocust is easy to notice! The photo he provided has relatively few thorns. Some trees are very densly covered with the thorns.

Black locust has small (1/4") thorns on the smaller branches. None on the trunk or larger branches.

Both have small oval leaflets, somewhat similar to walnut.

I have (too many) honey locust trees in the pastures. I'll GIVE them away to anyone who wants them _as long as the make sure to take all the thorns with them!_ ;-)

Ken


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## mga (Oct 3, 2008)

wonder why that tree would grow such defensive thorns to protect itself.......


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## husky455rancher (Oct 3, 2008)

wow id stay the hell away from that thing, thats mean lookin


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## Madspeed (Oct 3, 2008)

yeah, they look like something that should be in The Lord Of The Rings movies!!


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## wdchuck (Oct 3, 2008)

One wicked crown. 



Black locust has rose bush type thorns on it, pretty coarse bark, is green/yellow on the interior, small leaves...fernlike. Dense wood, once dried it is hard on chains, expect to sharpen frequently on larger diameters, little stuff like 6" is easy to work with. Just wear gloves to protect agains the thorns.

Due to the density, it burns great, once dried well. 

Great fence posts, and would make perfect framework to keep your firewood off the ground since it'll last for decades.


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## woodcutter69 (Oct 3, 2008)

produces alot of ash, but easy to split.


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## motoroilmccall (Oct 3, 2008)

^^^ What? Easy to split? Maybe if you have a splitter... Wet it splits okay, dry its like splitting atoms!


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## woodbooga (Oct 3, 2008)

wdchuck said:


> One wicked crown.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Used to hate black locust as a teenager when I used to cut neighbors lawns. One of my clients had a small one and there was not way to mow under it without getting zapped by the thorns.

In addition to fenceposts, the flavinoids in the heartwood make it excellent for any application where it will be exposed to moisture. Boatbuilders love the stuff.


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## AOD (Oct 3, 2008)

I have some cut up and laying around. It cut easy but is impossible to split. I got about a 10" chunk to crack but the big 12-14" ones are rock hard! Time for the Monster Maul and the Wood Grenade.


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## PA Plumber (Oct 3, 2008)

Went out and got some pics.

Locust:


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## PA Plumber (Oct 3, 2008)

Here's a couple more pics...

Top two Locust and the bottom two are Black Walnut:


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## husky455rancher (Oct 3, 2008)

damn that first pic looks like a tree the devil created that things sick.


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## PA Plumber (Oct 3, 2008)

I was helping to mark some trees for removal, and that first one nailed me, twice. Had to dig thorn tips out both times. 

That was two days ago and the one in my right index finger is still pretty sore.

Some of the thorns on that first pick are close to 14" long.

The pic with the base of the tree with the huge poison ivy vines, is nearly 3.5 feet in diameter.


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## mga (Oct 3, 2008)

> The pic with the base of the tree with the huge poison ivy vines, is nearly 3.5 feet in diameter.



heh...i saw those vines and started itching again!!


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## PA Plumber (Oct 3, 2008)

mga said:


> heh...i saw those vines and started itching again!!



If this gets approval for dropping, I plan to cut those vines and give that ivy a few weeks to dry out.

Those big old vines hold a lot of itching juice in them!


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## woodbooga (Oct 3, 2008)

PA Plumber said:


> Some of the thorns on that first pick are close to 14" long.



Kindling!

But seriously, that's pretty nasty! I'd hate to take a header into one of those things. You could've made one of those pics the album art for a Megadeth LP!


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## PA Plumber (Oct 3, 2008)

If those trees are approved for removal, my "pay" will be the firewood. There are a few Green Ash trees in the mix. Between the Ash and Locust, there should be enough wood for a season.

There are other trees that need to be felled ~ Silver Maple, Norway Maple, Box Elder, and some Catalpa.
I plan to try to sell that stuff on Craig's list for a few bucks a truckload.

Originally I had said "yes" to this whole thing as a volunteer job, but it has turned into potentially a lot of work. At least there is some firewood that is decent.


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## AOD (Oct 3, 2008)

clawmute said:


>





Madspeed said:


> yeah, they look like something that should be in The Lord Of The Rings movies!!



Thats no tree. Thats an Ent.


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## larman (Oct 3, 2008)

last year i found a dozer pile all locust great burning heii on tires used up 1 new chain for 1 burning season llllike i said dozer pile so lots of dirt on the trees!
larry


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## n9emz (Oct 3, 2008)

Here's four that are coming down in the next couple of weeks.


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## KsWoodsMan (Oct 3, 2008)

mga said:


> wonder why that tree would grow such defensive thorns to protect itself.......



The pulp of the seed pod is very sweet and nutritious. Without the thorns the critters would be up there eating away at them and the seed would never mature to be able to germinate. 

This is one tree that definitely requires PPE anytime you get even close to it.


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## SWI Don (Oct 3, 2008)

About half my wood for this season is honeylocust. The stuff I got was girdled and dropped via excavator and then flooded on. Plenty of sand in the bark. It was hard on chains for sure. 

These trees had been dead long enough that the thorns were not as much of an issue. Dad's pasture is full of ones that still have a full complement of them for me to drop.

Don


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## AOD (Oct 4, 2008)

A sharp axe or hatchet should make quick work of those thorns. Not as bad as a hawthorn though.....


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## turnkey4099 (Oct 4, 2008)

motoroilmccall said:


> ^^^ What? Easy to split? Maybe if you have a splitter... Wet it splits okay, dry its like splitting atoms!



Musst be several different varieties of Black Locust then. I have even split fence posts out of it with no problem. The stuff I worked up (and still am) split very easy with just the maul (except for crotches/knots). Getting big, green rounds split in half can be a problem as a wedge tends to be hard to get started...tap, tap, tap, swing and it bounces out. I have had to make a shallow kerf a few times just to start the wedge. Once the wedge sticks though, no problem.

Hard to split dry? I find it is even easier, It checks badly when it dries, Just hit a check and it falls apart.

Harry K


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## ken45 (Oct 4, 2008)

AOD said:


> A sharp axe or hatchet should make quick work of those thorns.



But THEN what? It's on the ground that worries me the most, both for our horses as well as tractor tires.

Ken


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## cityevader (Oct 4, 2008)

:jawdrop: 

I've never seen anything like this!!!! What a wicked looking tree!!!

And really, how DO you catch/dispose of all the thorns? Lay out a tarp and hatchet them onto it?


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## I LOVE FIREWOOD (Oct 4, 2008)

All locust trees must not have thorns on them right? Because someone that I know had four trees blown down that were real tall and about 2-3' around and when I went and looked at them I toold him that I didn't want because I didn't know what was because they didn't have thorns on them, and he called me back a couple days later and said someone asked if he could cut up the tree for firewood and he said that were locust trees, Moral of the story is I lost out because I didn't know the tree because it didn't have thorns on it.


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## PA Plumber (Oct 4, 2008)

I LOVE FIREWOOD said:


> All locust trees must not have thorns on them right? Because someone that I know had four trees blown down that were real tall and about 2-3' around and when I went and looked at them I toold him that I didn't want because I didn't know what was because they didn't have thorns on them, and he called me back a couple days later and said someone asked if he could cut up the tree for firewood and he said that were locust trees, Moral of the story is I lost out because I didn't know the tree because it didn't have thorns on it.



I believe there are some hybrids that do not have thorns. Our neighbor across the street has a very Locusty looking tree, but nary a thorn.


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## Peacock (Oct 4, 2008)

PA Plumber said:


> I believe there are some hybrids that do not have thorns. Our neighbor across the street has a very Locusty looking tree, but nary a thorn.



Here is a thornless honey locust.


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## PA Plumber (Oct 4, 2008)

Peacock said:


> Here is a thornless honey locust.



That bark is very similar to our neighbor's tree.


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## Bowtie (Oct 4, 2008)

I dont know if this is true or not, but I have heard that the male species of Honey Locust does not produce thorns. The female species does. I do know that there are a lot of honey locusts here in Kansas that dont produce thorns, but are vastly out numbered by the thorny variety.


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## PA Plumber (Oct 4, 2008)

Bowtie said:


> I dont know if this is true or not, but I have heard that the male species of Honey Locust does not produce thorns. The female species does. I do know that there are a lot of honey locusts here in Kansas that dont produce thorns, but are vastly out numbered by the thorny variety.



I've heard that about the males and females also, but have not researched it.

Just for the record...

The Honey Locust has the thorn clusters and the Black locust has thorns only on the upper branches, not the trunk?

As far as BTU, I would guess that Locust is Locust? Or is one more dense than the other?


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## ken45 (Oct 4, 2008)

I LOVE FIREWOOD said:


> All locust trees must not have thorns on them right? Because someone that I know had four trees blown down that were real tall and about 2-3' around and when I went and looked at them I toold him that I didn't want because I didn't know what was because they didn't have thorns on them, and he called me back a couple days later and said someone asked if he could cut up the tree for firewood and he said that were locust trees, Moral of the story is I lost out because I didn't know the tree because it didn't have thorns on it.



There are "thornless honeylocust" varieties sold in nurseries. I planted one ("Shademaster" IIRC) in the yard where we lived 30 years ago. It might be worthwhile size by now! 

Ken


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## fbh31118 (Oct 4, 2008)

motoroilmccall said:


> ^^^ What? Easy to split? Maybe if you have a splitter... Wet it splits okay, dry its like splitting atoms!



:agree2:

I've got a double lot full of that junk. It grows like a weed, will make you look like you've been in a knife fight down town and if your brave is a great source of heat. Love to burn it just hate to cut it.


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## Peacock (Oct 4, 2008)

So, you guys are telling me that it's the female that is hard to get along with?


:censored:


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## turnkey4099 (Oct 5, 2008)

The Black Loust (at least around here) only has thorns on the young wood. One year old growth is full of them. Not sure how many years it takes forthe thorns to disappear.

Harry K


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## KsWoodsMan (Oct 5, 2008)

I think the 'thornless' varietys are a cultivar or hybrid cross. They can cross in the wild. Usually there is some human intervention, they bloom at slightly different times of the year.

BL can be crossed with a Bristly Locust shrub and is considered a tree instead of a shrub. The thornless cultivar is an ornamental. It has a more spreading crown than BL and a similar look just not the heigth of a BL. The flower is Pink instead of white or purple.

BL thorns are bark attatched. When the course bark under them sheds, the thorn goes with it. HL thorns continue to grow the entire life of the tree. 

Around the corner from me are a few Thornless Honey Locusts. They caught my attention last Winter because of the bark. I just had to stop and look at them to be sure of what they were. Sure enougn come Spring they put on Locust leaves. I have been waiting to get seed pods. Still havent seen one yet. If I want one bad enough I could just get a cutting and hope for the best. I sure hope my chainsaw doesnt wake them up.


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## turnkey4099 (Oct 6, 2008)

KsWoodsMan said:


> I think the 'thornless' varietys are a cultivar or hybrid cross. They can cross in the wild. Usually there is some human intervention, they bloom at slightly different times of the year.
> 
> BL can be crossed with a Bristly Locust shrub and is considered a tree instead of a shrub. The thornless cultivar is an ornamental. It has a more spreading crown than BL and a similar look just not the heigth of a BL. The flower is Pink instead of white or purple.
> 
> ...



Hmmm...I'll have to go check the ones I planted way back when. At least one of them puts out those huge seed pods but I don't recall if there are thorns on the tree. If I find some seed pods and no thorns, do you want the pods? I'm not sure now if they are Honey Locust though, I ordered Black Locust but got these instead.

Harry K


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## KsWoodsMan (Oct 6, 2008)

Harry, Sure ! If there are no thorns I would take some mature seed pods or just the seeds. I like the looks of the tree. I have a couple of places in my yard , one on the street that I have had in mind for something like this. Dont ask me why I like the look of an African Acasia but around here that and a Memosa is as close as I have found. 

Yes, let me know what turns up on them please, if you think about it. We'll work out some logistics then. Thanks.


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## Bowtie (Oct 6, 2008)

I took down a HL at my mothers house 2 winters ago that made seed pods, and no thorns. I will check to see if ebnough of it has come back to produce seed pods.


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## turnkey4099 (Oct 7, 2008)

KsWoodsMan said:


> Harry, Sure ! If there are no thorns I would take some mature seed pods or just the seeds. I like the looks of the tree. I have a couple of places in my yard , one on the street that I have had in mind for something like this. Dont ask me why I like the look of an African Acasia but around here that and a Memosa is as close as I have found.
> 
> Yes, let me know what turns up on them please, if you think about it. We'll work out some logistics then. Thanks.



I forgot to check today, got wrapped up in doing another locust. I'll look tomorrow.

Harry K


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