Gleditsia

Gleditsia triacanthos

• Height: up to 25 m
• Trunk: dark grey-brown, initially smooth, later longitudinally fissured, peeling off in elongated plates, with distinct tuft-like thorns
• Crown: slender, widening upward, open crown
• Leaves: alternate, simple or twice-pinnate leaves with 8–30 elliptical-oval and rounded leaflets (each approx. 2 cm long), slightly serrated in the front third, fresh green
• Flowers: greenish-yellow flowers in hanging clusters, in May/June
• Fruits/Seeds: Brown, leathery, strap-shaped, wavy-twisted pods up to about 40 cm long, containing about 25 seeds
• Other: thorns on the trunk and branches

^{Photos: Dorit Zimmermann (1,2,3)}