Species:
– 12 species include Gleditsia amorphoides, Gleditsia aquatica, Gleditsia assamica, Gleditsia australis, Gleditsia caspica, Gleditsia fera, Gleditsia japonica, Gleditsia medogensis, Gleditsia microphylla, Gleditsia rolfei, Gleditsia sinensis, and Gleditsia triacanthos
– Hybrids include Gleditsia texana
– All species are woody except Gleditsia microphylla
– Ability to fix nitrogen is debated
– Refer to Honey locust §Nitrogen fixation for details
Range and Taxonomy:
– Gleditsia is found in East Asia, East Coast of the Americas, and South America
– Small populations exist around the Caspian Sea (G. caspica) and India (G. assamica)
– Native species are found in all these regions
– Gleditsia originated in East Asia, crossed to North America, and spread to South America
– Gymnocladus is a sister genus of Gleditsia with similar dispersion patterns
Medicinal Use:
– Gleditsia sinensis is a fundamental herb in Chinese herbology
– Known as zào jiá (皂荚)
– Additional citation needed for further information
References:
– Gleditsia Plants of the World Online
– Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
– Cladistic biogeography studies by Schnabel and Wendel
– Phylogenetic relationships studies by Schnabel, McDonel, and Wendel
– Phytogeographical relationships and flora analysis by Saghatelyan
Bibliography:
– Philips, Roger. (1979). Trees of North America and Europe, Random House, Inc., New York
– ISBN 0-394-50259-0
– Caesalpinioideae-related article is a stub
– Wikipedia expansion opportunity