Gleditsia triacanthos 'RUBYLACE' thornless honey locust

Some of you, gleditsia lovers, may have read about this quite rare and unique version of honey locust. Its charm consists in the unusual colour of leaves. They are bright purple as they emerge, turning chocolate brown later and light bronze in summer. They are pinnate or bi-pinnate and look like fern leaves.

The Latin name says three-thorned (does such word even exist?) but holds for its original wild species only. This variety is thorn-less, thank God. If you saw the thorns on the parent plant you would not even think of buying one. The branches are rather horizontal and growth rate is medium-fast, not as fast as for example its golden-leaved sister variety “Sunburst”. In my opinion, this plant looks best when grown as a standard tree with a canopy crown, clipped to umbrella shape: just cut off the vertical terminal and leave horizontal branches which will slightly droop with age. Clipping the tips at the end of winter will increase crown density.

For best results plant it in full sun. It is widely tolerant of soil types but will do best in humus-rich, moist but well drained soil. Fertilizing is not necessary, and if so, stop fertilizing in mid summer so that all branches can mature. Hardy to -29°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 03-04-2010