Gleditsia triacanthos forms strong thorns about 15 cm long on the trunk and branches. These can be removed without harm to the tree. Some thornless varieties are also available commercially.
Which varieties of Gleditschia are thornless?
Thornless Gleditsia (Gleditsia triacanthos) is available in different varieties, such as Inermis (green foliage), Sunburst (yellow-green foliage), Skyline (dark green foliage) and Shademaster (golden-yellow foliage). They are ideal for brightening up dark woody plants.
Gleditschien are also called leatherpod trees. They belong to the legume family (Fabaceae). The flowers actually develop into quite large legumes with edible content. Gleditschien come from temperate and subtropical regions of South and North America, Asia and Africa. There they reach considerable heights of up to 30 meters. In our latitudes the trees grow to around 10 meters high. The leatherpod trees are summer green.
Thornless varieties
The genus Gleditschien contains several species. Most of them have thorns that sit singly or in clusters on the trunk and branches. There are a number of thornless Gleditschia species that generally do not bear fruit. The following varieties without thorns are most commonly offered:
- Inermis (green leaves, yellow-orange in autumn, moderate growth)
- Sunburst (foliage yellow to yellow-green, autumn color yellow)
- Skyline (foliage dark green; green-gold to bright yellow in autumn)
- Shademaster (foliage dark green, autumn color golden yellow)
Variety of varieties and possible uses
The Gleditschien species differ not only in whether they have thorns or are thornless. They also come in different colors (red, green or yellow leaves), shapes and sizes. The small-growing varieties Elegantissima or Globosa only reach a height of around 5 meters. The Gleditschie Globosa forms a beautiful, spherical crown, but does not produce any flowers from which the decorative legumes can later develop. Due to their foliage color, the Gleditschien are very suitable for brightening up dark woody plantings.
Tip
The name “Gleditschie” was given in honor of the German botanist Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch, who was director of the Berlin Botanical Garden from 1746 to around 1753.
