Gleditsia aquatica, commonly called water locust or swamp locust after its habitat of river swamps and slough margins, is a tree native to the Southeastern United States and adjacent regions.

This water locust is found mainly in the southern regions of the United States.

It is native to the Southeast, from Florida west to eastern Texas, north to Illinois.

It can be found as far north as Ohio, southern New York and southwestern Connecticut.

Natural hybrids have been found to occur where G. aquatica overlaps with the range of Gleditsia triacanthos.