Honeylocust (Gleditsia tricanthos inermis) - Fast growing, widely adapted tree native to the Midwest and Eastern United States. Produces large, long, flat bean pods with sweet edible pulp. Immature pods can be cooked and eaten. Young seeds taste like raw peas. Pods are considered a useful fodder for livestock. These seedlings are from open pollinated trees that produced good pod crops and were thorn-less. Although some of the seedlings will have some thorns when young. Juvenile plants will often have some thorns which prevent them from being eaten when young, but they disappear as the plants mature. Wood is hard and durable and imparts a desirable honeywood flavor to grilled foods. Zone 4-8.
Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) - North American native legume tree that makes its own nitrogen fertilizer. Rapid grower, tolerates poor or dry soils, or clay. Very hard wood, rot resistant, making for fence posts that last 40 years or more. Highest BTU value for firewood. Will continually re-sprout quickly from the stump if coppiced for firewood or fence post production. White flowers resembling peas, make good bee forage and honey. Dark rugged trunk on a fairly large tree to 60 ft., with a 30 ft. spread. Injured roots will sucker and make new trees. Young branches are very thorny. Zone 4-8.
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