TREE OF THE MONTH
By Leonard Phillips,
ASLA Emeritus
Botanical Name: Gleditsia triacanthos inermis
'Draves'
Trade Name: Street Keeper™ Honeylocust
Family: Fabaceae
Parentage: Discovered near Buffalo, N.Y. by Tom
Draves
Year of Introduction: 2009
Plant Patent: PP# 21698
Hardiness Zone*: 5-9
Height: 45 feet
Spread: 20 feet
Growth Rate: Moderate, 45 feet in 50 years
Form: Narrow, strongly upright, tightly pyramidal
Bloom Period: Spring
Flower: Male only, occasionally produces a female
flower
Fruit: Nearly seedless
Spring Color: Mid-green
Summer Foliage: Dark green in summer, fine
texture
Autumn Foliage: Yellow in fall
Winter Color: Dark branches provide winter interest
Bark: Dark gray to black, thornless
Habitat: Species found in U.S. from Pennsylvania to
Texas and Nebraska
Culture: Moist well drained soil, sun
Pest Problems: Moderate resistance to disease,
excellent resistance to pests, and easily able to
withstand injuries
Storm Resistance: Excellent
Salt Resistance: Good
Planting: Transplants easily bare root and B&B,
suitable for use in CU-Structural Soil
Pruning: This tree requires little pruning
Propagating: Budded onto species understock
Design Uses: Excellent specimen, good street tree,
excellent in lawns and gardens because it casts a
very light shadow and has low maintenance needs
Companions: Use with all types of perennials
Other Comments: Fine-textured leaves, ideal for
city streets, good central leader dominance with
strong branch crotch angles
Available From: Becoming available in retail
nurseries that carry new introductions
* For information about the USDA Hardiness Zone
Map, visit www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/index.html
Photos provided by J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
26 Arbor Age / July/August 2013
These are the personal observations of the author,
living in New England – Zone 6. Leonard Phillips can
be reached via e-mail at lenphillips@on-lineseminars.com.
www.arborage.com
