Wildlife
- Pollinators
- Butterflies & moths
- Small mammals
The fragrant late-spring flowers feed bees, the leaves host silver-spotted skipper caterpillars, and deer, squirrels and rabbits eat the sweet pulp of fallen pods.
Ships bare root
Native
Mature plant shown. Yours ships dormant and bare root.
What arrives
1 dormant bare-root plant, about 2–3 ft tall
- No leaves, no pot, no soil. Roots packed moist.
- Ships in your zone's planting window.
- Leafs out about 4–8 weeks after planting.
Native tree
Thornless Honeylocust
Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis
- Ships 2–3 ft tall
- 1 plant, bare root
- Zones 4–9
- Grows 30–70 ft
$11.95Was $14.95Save 20%
No reviews yet. Be the first to reviewThe quick answer
Thornless honeylocust is a native shade tree for USDA zones 4-9 that grows 30-70 feet tall and 30-50 feet wide with an open crown. It needs full sun and tolerates poor, alkaline and salty soils. Buy it for fast, light, filtered shade that lets lawn grow underneath and golden-yellow fall color.
When it ships to you
Zone scheduleHow many?
plants
Free shipping on orders $75+$75
Healthy deliveryOr we replace it
Shipped dormantTimed to your zone
1-year warrantyStore credit, terms
Thornless Honeylocust plant profile
Mature size30–70 ft tall · 30–50 ft wide
Typical (30 ft)Up to 70 ft
Broad, open, spreading crown that casts light, dappled shade.
USDA hardiness zones4–9
Sun & growth
SlowMediumFast
Needs full sun.
SoilpH 6.0–8.0
4 acidic6.59 alkaline
Adapts to most soils, including clay, sandy, compacted and salty sites, and tolerates drought once established.
Native to the USGolden yellow fall color
Flowers & fruit
Small, fragrant greenish-yellow flowers in late spring. Female trees can produce long, twisted brown pods that drop in fall and winter.
Leaves & fall color
Golden yellow in fall. Fine, fern-like compound leaves that turn golden yellow in fall.
Pests & disease
Honeylocust plant bug, mimosa webworm, pod gall midge, spider mites and cankers are the main problems. Healthy, well-watered trees recover from most leaf damage.
Pruning
Prune in late winter to remove dead or crossing branches and to raise the canopy over lawns and walks.
Bare root vs potted
Skip the garden-center markup.
Garden centers buy young plants, pot them, grow them another season and mark them up. We ship yours dormant and bare root, timed to your planting window.
Bare root, from us$11.95ships dormant
Example: 3-gal potted American hazelnut$70–$140online retail prices checked Oct 2026
A year with your Thornless Honeylocust
SPRINGLeafs out late; small fragrant greenish flowers in late spring.
SUMMERFine, fern-like leaves cast light, filtered shade that lets grass grow.
LATE SUMMERWatch for webworm nests and plant bug damage on leaves.
FALLGolden-yellow leaflets fall and disappear into the lawn; some trees drop long twisted pods.
Questions people ask about Thornless Honeylocust
Will a thornless honeylocust make seed pods?
Seedling thornless honeylocusts can produce long, twisted brown pods. Most named thornless cultivars bear few or no pods.
Can grass grow under a honeylocust?
Yes. Its small, fine leaflets cast light, filtered shade, so lawn grows well underneath.
Is honeylocust good for a street or salty area?
Yes. It tolerates road salt, compacted soil, drought and alkaline soil better than most shade trees.
How fast does thornless honeylocust grow?
It is a fast-growing tree, reaching 30-70 feet tall and 30-50 feet wide.
What does the honeylocust look like when it arrives?
It ships as a dormant, leafless bare-root tree about 2-3 feet tall. Plant it promptly; it leafs out later in spring than most trees.
Plant it in 4 steps
- Soak the roots in cold water overnight before planting.
- Dig twice as wide as the roots; plant at the depth it grew.
- Water, then mulch. No fertilizer the first season.
- Water regularly until it's established.
Plant facts checked October 2026 against: Arbor Day Foundation, NC State Extension, UConn, https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/node/11036.