Gleditsia, Thornless Honeylocust 'Sunburst'

Beautiful and graceful foliage adorn this tree. The chartreuse color lasts for several weeks in the spring before the older leaves start...Read More turning a medium green. The tips of the new growth tends to stay the brighter color most of the summer. Limb growth can be quite rapid with some limbs experiencing growth up to 6' per year. Our tree has grown quite large in the matter of 5 years. It's probably 20' tall with a 5" caliper. The new wood is very weak however and it will sag pretty good when it rains. Young trees must be staked as the old wood is generally not strong enough to support the new wood. The tree will change its shape regularly over the summer and 'reset' in the winter when everything hardens up. Despite these things, the tree is fairly strong and the only damage ours has sustained was caused by poor staking techniques on my part. It does tend to have an odd branching structure but that is part of its charm. Mine starts losing leaves in September but doesn't finish losing them until early October. It is usually the first bare tree in our yard. Raking leaves is not necessary.

All 13 pics show the foliage just after the tree has leafed out in the spring. The chartreuse color fades to the same green as the specie...Read Mores fairly quickly. For most of the season, the foliage is mostly green, and only chartreuse near the growing points at the tips of the twigs.

Allergy to the pollen is fairly common.

This cultivar produces few seedpods, which reduces cleanup. Seedlings may not come true. This cultivar is exceptionally susceptible to nectria canker.

Planted in the back corner of my yard about 10 years ago (was about 15 feet at planting). Has poor form and recently suffered from ice da...Read Moremage. It also had aphids in early spring, sometimes taken long to leaf out.