Gleditsia microphylla
Gleditsia microphylla
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Gleditsia microphylla is fairly cold-hardy, with older trees being able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c when fully dormant. The tree has a habit though, especially when young, of producing new growth until quite late in the season. Especially in areas where the summers are not hot, this new growth will not ripen fully and will be liable to be cut back by the cold in the winter. Older plants tend to lose this habit. Generally, the plant should be considered to only be hardy to about -5°c when young, especially if growing in areas with cooler summers[1]. Easily grown in a loamy soil, requiring a sunny position[1]. Succeeds in most soils[2] including sandy ones[3]. Tolerates drought once established[4] and atmospheric pollution[2]. Trees have a light canopy, they come into leaf late in the spring and drop their leaves in early autumn[2] making them an excellent top storey tree in a woodland garden. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[2]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[2].
Propagation
Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in a greenhouse[5]. The seed should have swollen up, in which case it can be sown, if it has not swollen then soak it for another 24 hours in warm water. If this does not work then file away some of the seed coat but be careful not to damage the embryo[5]. Further soaking should then cause the seed to swell. One it has swollen, the seed should germinate within 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual deep pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Give the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Gleditsia+microphylla>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
- [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [3]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
- [4]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
- [5]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
- [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
- [7]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [8]Physicochemical Characteristics of Gradual Fractionation Ingredients of Industrial Galactomannan Gums from Gleditsia — Yu-dong Liu et al · 2016 · http://10.15376/biores.11.3.7046-7060 ↩︎