Tree Categories: Fall Color Trees, Ornamental Trees, and Shade Trees
Mature Tree Height: 20-40 feet tall | Mature Tree Width: 30+ feet wide
Tree Growing Zones: Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, and Zone 8
The Imperial Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ‘Impcole’) is a medium-sized shade tree. It has a broad, spreading crown and a more compact branching habit then most other cultivars. Its foliage is the distinctive Honeylocust, fern-like leaves that are pinnately compound. They are bright green in the spring and summer and turn a bright yellow in the fall. These smaller leaves make fall leaf clean up a bit easier. This cultivar does not have thorns and usually does not produce seed pods, further benefiting fall clean up.
The Imperial Honeylocust was introduced in 1957. This cultivar is known for its more compact form and its thornless and seedless attribute. It is a great option as a shade tree due to its denser branches and broad crown. Although it is a little more compact, it still lets a bit of light through that keeps the grass alive under the canopy. This tree is well suited for rural landscapes as well as urban ones due to its adaptability and can be a captivating street tree. It does best in full sun and is tolerable of many soil types.
