Robinia pseudoacacia (Black Locust)

Fast-growing, Robinia pseudoacacia (Black Locust) is a spreading, suckering, deciduous tree boasting attractive compound leaves and pendulous racemes of scented pea-like flowers. The dark blue-green leaves comprise 5-11 pairs of oval leaflets, which turn yellow in the fall, before shedding to the ground. As the leaves fall, they reveal the beautiful, deeply furrowed, rough bark. Dense, pendant clusters of fragrant white flowers, 8 in. long (20 cm), appear in late spring and early summer. Attractive to honeybees and hummingbirds, they are followed in fall by smooth, flat, purple-brown seed pods. Black Locust provides food and structural habitat for a variety of wildlife species. In its native range, Black Locust provides nesting cavities for birds, including hairy woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, northern flickers, and red-bellied woodpeckers.

• Grows as a broadly columnar single-trunk tree, with a narrow oblong crown or in suckering thickets. Can reach 30-50 ft. in height (9-15 m) and 20-35 ft. in spread (6-10 m). This tree spreads by self-seeding and root suckers. Promptly remove suckers unless naturalization is desired.
• Performs best in full sun in dry to medium, well-drained soils. Tolerates light shade and a wide range of soils, including poor dry soils or clay soils. Good drought tolerance once established.
• A great tree for difficult areas where other trees will not grow well. However, use this tree with care. It is often considered an invasive species and a garden thug because it spreads very rapidly by root sprouts and by the copious seeds it produces.
• Generally pest and disease-free. Deer resistant
• Pruning should be done in late summer or early fall to prevent bleeding; sucker removal if necessary, in fall.
• Propagate by seed or from root cuttings or from suckers.
• Robinia pseudoacacia is native to the Southern Appalachians, the Ozarks, and other portions of the Midsouth, but is considered an invasive species in the prairie and savanna regions of the Midwest where it can dominate and shade those open habitats.
• Discover beautiful U.S. native plant alternatives.
• This plant has high-severity poison characteristics. If ingested, it may cause death in humans and livestock, and pets.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses, toxic to humans.