Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis  ‘Sunburst’         Fabaceae

Sunburst Honeylocust             gle-DIT-si-a tri-a-KAN-thos in-ER-mis

• Deciduous tree, 30-70 ft (9-21 m), open, spreading crown, distinctive horizontal, zigzag branches.  Thornless.  Leaves golden on new growth changing to bright green, alternate, pinnately or bipinnately compound, 15-20 cm long, pubescent rachis.  Stems shining, smooth, and reddish to greenish-brown.  Fruitless.
• Sun.  Fast growing.  Defoliates easily in response to temperature changes and drought.  The honeylocust pod gall midge deforms leaves in some areas.  In Corvallis, it seems more susceptible to this insect attack than the green-leaf cultivars.  Apparently susceptible to Nectria canker.  Received the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Sociey council in 1993.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 3   Introduced in 1957, very popular cultivar.
• Oregon State Univ. campus: south side of parking lot west of Cordley Hall