This rapid growing, short-lived, spiny tree with a crooked, forking trunk is a nitrogen fixing plant.

BUDS: White and hairy; false end buds.

TWIGS: Stout; paired spines at nodes.

BARK: Dark and crosshatched with deep ridges.

HABITAT: Moist to dry soils; old fields and other open areas.

RANGE: Central Pennsylvania and southern Ohio south to northeastern Alabama, from southern Missouri to eastern Oklahoma. Naturalized from Nova Scotia to Ontario.

USES: This tree is planted for erosion control on strip-mined land. It is excellent for firewood and, because it is rot-resistant, is good for making posts.