Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Gleditsia aquatica

Gleditsia aquatica Marshall

Water Locust, Swamp Locust

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonym(s): Gleditsia monosperma

USDA Symbol: GLAQ

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Medium-sized, spiny tree with short trunk and broad, flattened crown of spreading branches.

The common and Latin species names both refer to Water Locust's wet habitat. The generic name honors Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch (1714-86), director of the Berlin Botanical Gardens.

From the Image Gallery

No images of this plant

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Fruit Type: Legume
Size Notes: Up to about 45 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Green
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MO , MS , NY , SC , TN , TX
Native Distribution: South Carolina to central Florida, west to E. Texas, and north to S. Illinois and extreme SW. Indiana; to 400' (122 m).
Native Habitat: Wet soils of riverbanks, flood plains, and swamps, especially where submerged for long periods; in floodplain forests.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	OBL				OBL	OBL		OBL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Bibliography

Bibref 298 - Field Guide to Texas Trees (1999) Simpson, B.J.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 57 - Atlas of Florida Plants (2020) Institute for Systematic Botany
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Gleditsia aquatica in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Gleditsia aquatica in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Gleditsia aquatica

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-01-09
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back