Black locust

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. It is native to eastern North America from northeast Texas to New York, and widely planted and naturalised elsewhere in the rest of temperate North America, Europe and Asia.

Related Topics:
Tree - Faboideae - Fabaceae - North America - Texas - New York - Europe - Asia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It grows to 15–25 m tall, with a trunk up to 0.8 m diameter (exceptionally up to 27 m tall and 1.6 m diameter in very old trees), with thick, deeply furrowed blackish bark. The leaves are 10–25 cm long, pinnate with 9–19 oval leaflets, 2–5 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad. Each leaf usually has a pair of short thorns at the base, 1–2 mm long or absent on adult crown shoots, up to 2 cm long on vigorous young plants. The flowers are white, in pendulous racemes 8–20 cm long. The fruit is a legume 5–10 cm long, containing 4–10 seeds.

Related Topics:
Bark - Leaves - Flower - Raceme - Fruit - Legume - Seed

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although similar in general appearance to Honey locust, it lacks that tree's characteristic long branched spines on the trunk, instead having the pairs of short thorns at the base of each leaf; the leaflets are also much broader.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As with honey locust, black locust reproduces through distinct hanging pods. However, unlike honey locust, but like the related European Laburnum, its pods are toxic. In fact, every part of the tree is considered toxic.

Related Topics:
Laburnum - Toxic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Black locust is a legume in the family Fabaceae, which makes it capable of hosting nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its root system.

Related Topics:
Fabaceae - Nitrogen-fixing - Bacteria

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~