Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

waterlocust Fabaceae Gleditsia aquatica Marshall Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: GLAQ
Leaf: Alternate, pinnately or bipinnately compound with 14 to 20 oval to elliptical leaflets each 3/4 to 1 inch long, overall leaf 6 to 8 inches long.
Flower: Greenish white flowers displayed in 2 inch long racemes, appearing after the leaves.
Fruit: Flat, brown, almost round pods, 1 to 2 inches long, each containing 1 to 3 seeds.
Twig: Slender to moderate, zigzag, grayish to red-brown, conspicuous thorns, lateral buds sunken.
Bark: Smooth, grayish brown, often mottled, lenticels present, later splitting.
Form: Small to medium sized tree to 50 feet with a spreading, open crown.
 Looks like: honeylocust - mimosa

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Additional Range Information: Gleditsia aquatica is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information