Gleditsia tricanthos 'Prairie Silk'

RHS Plant Profile

thorny locust 'Prairie Silk'

Other common names

honey locust 'Prairie Silk', thorny honeylocust 'Prairie Silk'

Trees

A spreading, deciduous tree to 10m, with horizontally tiered branches. The leaves are elegant and frond-like and turn golden yellow in autumn before falling. Tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

8-12 metres

Max Spread

4-8 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 20–50 years
Max Spread: 4-8 metres
Max Height: 8-12 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Fabaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Gleditsia are deciduous trees with elegant, pinnate or bipinnate foliage, often on spiny branches, inconspicuous flowers followed by large flattened seed-pods
Name Status: Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow as a specimen tree in any fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. See tree cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by budding in summer, or grafting in late winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural

Pruning

See pruning group 1

Pests

May be susceptible to gall midge

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus