This extends across most of temperate North America, except the northwest. But it is particularly common on base-rich fertile soils, as in the Bluegrass Region of Ky., being tolerant of disturbed eutrophic conditions (e.g. Belt 2015). And the species is generally rare to absent in more hilly non-calcareous regions. Unverified historical data of Gm are mapped here as open dots; his data from Appalachian regions may be doubted, but the species does occur at low density in major valleys throughout most Appalachian regions (K). Gleditsia in general has significant potential for mammalian nutrition and medicine, with diverse chemistry including triterpenoid saponins with anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects (Zhang et al. 2016). The fruits are consumed more or less whole by larger herbivores, including deer (despite comments of Y). Foliage and fruits of triacanthos are often useful as forage by livestock, and for this reason the species has been widely distributed across temperate regions (e.g. Csurhes & Kriticos 1994, Medjekal et al. 2018). The obvious protective role of large thorns on trunks and lower branches of triacanthos has been widely assumed but rarely studied in detail (e.g. Kallansrud 1982). No other vascular plant in North America has spines as large. Plants of triacanthos sometimes spread laterally from root-sprouts (Del Tredici 1995), but wild clumps may often contain genetically distinct stems (Schnabel et al. 1991). See also notes under aquatica.