The leather sleeve tree comes from the eastern areas of North America. It is very popular there as a garden and park tree, the funnel-shaped treetop lets a lot of light through. In Central Europe it is completely hardy, it can withstand temperatures down to -28 degrees. The bizarre spines are no longer present in the "inermis" variety. The flower of the American Gleditschia is rather inconspicuous a spectacle in autumn are the twisted seed pods up to 50 cm long.