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▲▼

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

Robinia psuedoacacia: Black Locust

·         leaves deciduous, alternate, pinnately compound leaf 6-14 inches long, with 7-19 ovate leaflets with rounded tips; leaflets 1-2 inches long and ½ 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