Moderately stout, shiny, smooth, reddish to greenish brown, commonly mottled or streaked, and often with long, branched, sharp thorns.
Twigs have no end buds and very small side buds.
Pods contain a sweetish, gummy pulp. Greenish brown with many long raised, horizontal lines of lenticels on younger trees, becoming brown to nearly black with long, narrow, scaly ridges separated by deep fissures and often covered with clusters of large, branched thorns. Medium sized, commonly 40'-50' but can reach 140' high. Found naturally on rich, moist bottomlands in southwestern Pennsylvania, but widely planted as an ornamental throughout. A thornless variety with clear yellow fall color has been developed for the nursery trade.