It grows under a wide variety of soil and moisture conditions. It sometimes occurs in the forest, but more commonly in corners and waste places beside roads and fields. It grows to a diameter of 30 inches and a height of 75 feet. Twice pinnate leaves consist of four to seven pairs of pinnate, or secondary, leaflets. Terminal buds are conspicuously absent.
Winter buds are very minute, hidden, and superposed.
The bark on old trees is dark gray and is divided into thin, tight scales. This species has strong thorns that are straight, brown, sharp, and shiny. The thorns along the main stem are spectacular and borne in clusters that sometimes obscure the bark. The thorns are sufficient to identify native honeylocust. Flowers are greenish-white and bloom in June.