Black Locust

Black Locust

Robinia psuedoacacia

Fabaceae (Legume Family)

▲ mature tree

▲ mature, flowering tree (pink flowers)

flowers and bark of pink-flowered cultivar ▲

leaves ▲

▲ fruit pods

'Globe' black locust cultivar ▲ ▼

Robinia psuedoacacia: Black Locust

Location on campus: in west end of retention basin, along alley running to Kings St. (regular species, not globe form)

leaves deciduous, alternate, pinnately compound leaf 6-14 inches long, with 7-19 ovate leaflets with rounded tips; leaflets 1-2 inches long and 1/2 as wide; dark green to blue green above and lighter green, hairless underneath
stems slender, red-brown to green-brown or tan, angled, with short, curved thorns at nodes on juvenile growth
bark is light gray brown and deeply furrowed with age
grows 30-75 feet tall and wide in upright, oval crown; often forms colonies from sprouts from roots
flowers are creamy-white to pinkish-white, pea-like, about 1 inch diameter, in racemes that are 4-8 inches long; fruit is a flattened, brown pod about 2-5 inches long
prefers full sun and well-drained soil; fairly soil adaptable except to wet soils
medium to fast growth rate
wood is very decay-resistant; was used for fenceposts
native to Missouri
cultivar 'Umbraculifera' is the grafted Globe Locust used in landscaping