Honey Locust – Thornless

Description

The Pelham Parkway Honey Locust is a versatile and hardy tree that combines ornamental beauty with practical benefits. This unique tree is located in Pelham Parkway, where it offers shade and comfort to park-goers near a popular park bench.

Originally planted for its thornless trait, this honey locust variety is safe for landscapes, as it lacks the sharp thorns that can puncture tractor tires and pose challenges in farming environments.

Key Benefits:

• Abundant Pods: In 2022, the Pelham Parkway Honey Locust produced a significant crop of pods, noted for being eagerly consumed by livestock, as highlighted in J. Russell Smith’s Tree Crops.
• Blooming Power: The tree’s blooms are a magnet for beneficial pollinators, enhancing biodiversity in gardens and pastures.
• Nitrogen Fixing: Despite lacking root nodules, this tree supports neighboring plants by releasing nitrogen from its roots after pruning, making it an ideal choice for food forests and permaculture systems.
• Firewood & Woodworking: With dense wood that offers high BTU values (similar to black locust), this tree is perfect for firewood. It also has distinctive woodworking properties, including wood that glows under UV black light, adding a unique touch to craft projects.
• Light-Friendly Canopy: The open structure of the honey locust allows ample sunlight to reach crops below, promoting growth in agroforestry settings.

Additional Qualities:

• Drought Tolerant: Can thrive in 90% of the United States.
• Disease and Insect Free: Requires minimal maintenance.
• Coppice Potential: An excellent tree for regular pruning to maintain size and productivity.
• Historical Uses: Early settlers in North Carolina ground the pods into flour by mixing them with cornmeal, showcasing the tree’s historical significance in sustenance farming.

The Pelham Parkway Honey Locust is a dynamic choice for landscapes, pastures, and food forests, offering visual appeal, utility, and nutritional benefits to humans and animals alike.