Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 7-21 leaflets; leaflets oval, rounded at both ends but usually with a short point at the tip, without teeth, blue-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface except for the veins, up to two inches long and nearly half as wide. The leaflets turn yellow in the autumn.
Flowers: In long, drooping clusters, white with a yellow spot, very fragrant, up to 1 inch long, appearing in May and June.
Fruit: Legumes up to 4 inches long and about ½ inch wide, flat, smooth, reddish-brown, with 4-8 seeds.
Wood: Hard, heavy, strong, brown.
Uses: Fence posts, tool handles; often planted as an ornamental.
Habitat: Woodlands, thickets, roadsides.
Range: Pennsylvania across to Oklahoma, east to Georgia; often planted in other regions of the eastern United States.
Distinguishing Features: The pinnately compound leaves with up to 21 oval, smooth-edged leaflets, together with the pairs of spines, serve to distinguish this species.
