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Would anyone be able to identify these seeds for me? -honey locust

 
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Hello,
I hope that you all had a good Christmas and wish you a happy New year.

Just wondering if anyone would be able to identify these tree seeds?  They're about 13 inches long and around 1 inch wide.  I was wondering if they might be honey locust seeds judging from pictures that I found on the web.  My my sister (who gave me the seeds) said that they came from a store parking lot and that the trees around the seeds all had dark trunks.  She is familiar with honey locust (wild ones) and didn't think that the trees looked like the ones that she's seen.  Ihs there any other tree which would grow in Central Pennsylvania that would have a seed like this?  Thank you for any replies.  I appreciate your time and help.
Regards,
Tim
Tree-seed-1.jpg
Tree-seed-honey-locust-pods
Tree-seed-2.jpg
Tree-seed-honey-locust
 
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honey locust. Gleditsia tricanthos. 100%

some grafted non-thorny types do have somewhat different bark than wild ones, even ignoring the lack of giant thorns.
 
Tim Mackson
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greg mosser wrote:honey locust. Gleditsia tricanthos. 100%

some grafted non-thorny types do have somewhat different bark than wild ones, even ignoring the lack of giant thorns.



Awesome.  Thank you.  100 % is what I was looking for. :)  
I was hoping for this because I have a lot that is bordering a train track that people walk down.  I'm hoping for thorns to deter people from walking up the bank and on to our property from the back.  The advantage is that these look like nice trees.

The seeds seem dry....Hope that they'll germinate still. I'm hoping that can just moisten them and set them outside in the cold this winter and then plant them in the spring.  Too many pots sitting around outside right now.

Thank you again.
 
greg mosser
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be warned, i have sometimes germinated non-thorny offspring from non-thorny trees.
 
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greg mosser wrote:be warned, i have sometimes germinated non-thorny offspring from non-thorny trees.

 Something like 25% of them will be thorny.  Simply pull them  while they are young once you identify them.
 
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Hey Tim, I was able to get some of these honey locust seed pods from the "witness tree" at Gettysburg and now have 4 growing on my property.  Make sure that you soak the seeds in hot water for awhile prior to planting them.  There are a lot of propogation tips online, but using the hot water definitely worked for me.  Good luck!
 
Tim Mackson
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Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the awesome replies....It might seem odd I'm actually looking for thorns!  Thanks for the help. :)
 
Tim Mackson
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Joshua LeDuc wrote:Hey Tim, I was able to get some of these honey locust seed pods from the "witness tree" at Gettysburg and now have 4 growing on my property.  Make sure that you soak the seeds in hot water for awhile prior to planting them.  There are a lot of propogation tips online, but using the hot water definitely worked for me.  Good luck!



Very cool!  Is this the tree?   https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/2019/06/11/gettysburg-pa-civil-war-witness-trees-history/3710969002/
 
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Another tip for making sure they germinate is to use a file or sandpaper to break through the hard outer layer of the seeds.  File or sand one small area of the seed until you can see the light tan inner layer.
 
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I can tell you how I germinate mine with a near 100% success rate.  Gather seeds in the fall and keep them in the freezer for a week or so, and then move them to the refrigerator.  In the spring when I'm ready to plant them, I heat a pan of water to boiling.  As soon as it's boiling, I shut the heat off and throw in a handful of seeds.  Doesn't really matter how many as long as you don't fill the pot halfway or something :)  Leave the seeds in the water overnight.  The next day, whichever ones are swollen, and it's very noticeable, are ready for planting.  Any that aren't swollen, take them out and dry them, and then repeat again that night.  Next day, plant the swollen ones again, and throw the rest out in your compost or somewhere.  You may find a few of them the next spring, but generally if they don't swell after two boiling water episodes, they aren't viable.
 
Randy Simmons
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Trace Oswald wrote:I can tell you how I germinate mine with a near 100% success rate.  Gather seeds in the fall and keep them in the freezer for a week or so, and then move them to the refrigerator.  In the spring when I'm ready to plant them, I heat a pan of water to boiling.  As soon as it's boiling, I shut the heat off and throw in a handful of seeds.  Doesn't really matter how many as long as you don't fill the pot halfway or something :)  Leave the seeds in the water overnight.  The next day, whichever ones are swollen, and it's very noticeable, are ready for planting.  Any that aren't swollen, take them out and dry them, and then repeat again that night.  Next day, plant the swollen ones again, and throw the rest out in your compost or somewhere.  You may find a few of them the next spring, but generally if they don't swell after two boiling water episodes, they aren't viable.



Yes, forgot to mention I collect my pods (I also do Northern Catalpa) either in the fall and let them dry out until winter, or collect them from the tree in the early spring.
 
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