Differences in a Honey Locust & a Maple

Classification and Varieties

• Native to North America, the honeylocust is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae). This tree bears long, sharp thorns on its trunk and branches, but a thornless variety (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis) is available for landscape purposes. Both the thorny and thornless varieties grow in U. S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8a. The maple tree belongs to the family Aceraceae and the genus Acer. Unlike the honeylocust, the maple has approximately 120 species and thousands of cultivars. About 13 species of maple are native to North America, and the rest are found mainly in Asia and the Mediterranean.

Range

• The native range of the honeylocust is in the east-central United States, from Pennsylvania to Alabama and west to South Dakota and Texas. However, the thornless honeylocust is widely planted outside its native range. Native maple species grow throughout North America, from Canada to Mexico. Maple trees grow from approximately USDA zones 2 through 9, depending on the species.

Leaves

• The honeylocust has bipinnate or odd pinnate compound leaves, meaning leaflets grow opposite each other on a long stem. Leaves are about 6 to 10 inches long with 15 to 30 thin, feathery leaflets. The leaves cast light, dappled shade, making it possible for grass to grow beneath the tree’s canopy. Honeylocust leaves are dark green in summer and turn yellow in fall. Although size and shape vary by species, maple trees generally have an opposite leaf arrangement with sharp-pointed, deeply-veined, lobed leaves. Leaves are generally 2 to 6 inches wide and cast dense shade that often prevents grass from growing. Leaf shape and fall color vary by species. For example, the silver maple (Acer saccharinum) has jagged, star-shaped leaves that turn bright yellow in fall. The Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) has fine-textured, star-shaped leaves that turn yellow, red or dark purple in autumn. Silver maple grows in USDA zones 3 through 9, and Japanese maple grows in USDA zones 5 through 8.

Seeds and Flowers

• The honeylocust is a legume that bears flat, elongated seed pods in summer that remain on the tree into autumn, becoming brown and twisted. This tree produces drooping clusters of small, greenish-yellow flowers in late spring to early summer. Although not showy, honeylocust flowers are very fragrant. Maple seeds grow in pairs and are enclosed in paper-like wings that cause the seeds to twirl to the ground as they fall. Most maple trees bear small, inconspicuous clusters of flowers in early spring. Flowers can be greenish-yellow, orange or red and are not fragrant.