Thornless Honey locust

Honey locusts, Gleditsia triacanthos, can reach a height of 20–30 m (66–98 ft), with fast growth, and are relatively short-lived; their life spans are typically about 120 years, though some live up to 150 years. The leaves are pinnately compound on older trees but bipinnately compound on vigorous young trees. The leaflets are 1.5–2.5 cm (smaller on bipinnate leaves) and bright green. They turn yellow in the fall (autumn). The strongly scented cream-colored flowers appear in late spring, in clusters emerging from the base of the leaf axils. The fruit of the honey locust is a flat legume (pod) that matures in early autumn. Honey locusts commonly have thorns 3–10 cm long growing out of the branches, some reaching lengths over 20 cm; these may be single, or branched into several points, and commonly form dense clusters.