Species: Robinia pseudoacacia

(roe-bin'ee-ah sue-doe-a-kay'see-ah)

Black Locust

Found on Course Walks

Native and Invasive Plants

Map of plant locations

(Plant location data may be incomplete)

In Collection(s):

Recommended Urban Trees Collection

Cultivars

Variable size and shape. Globe <30'. ‘Purple Robe,’ ‘Pyramidalis,’ ‘Globosum,’ ‘Bessoniana’ are easy to transplant bare root.

'Bessoniana', 'Chicago Blues', 'Frisia', 'Globe', 'Idaho', 'Inermis', 'Purple Robe', 'Pyramidalis', 'Semperflorens', 'Twisty Baby', 'Umbraculifera'

Ornamental Characteristics

Size: Tree > 30 feet, Tree < 30 feet

Height: 40' - 70' (spread 20' - 35'), some cultivars <30'

Leaves: Deciduous

Shape: open irregular

Ornamental Other: good in very difficult reclamation sites; tolerates intermittent flooding and drought; fixes atmospheric nitrogen

Environmental Characteristics

Light: Full sun

Hardy To Zone: 4b

Soil Ph: Can tolerate acid to alkaline soil (pH 5.0 to 8.0)

Salt Tolerance: Tolerates salty soil

Environmental Other: white, fragrant flowers in late spring; dark gray ropy bark; dark bluish green pinnately compound leaves

CU Structural Soil™: Yes

Moisture Tolerance: Occasionally saturated or very wet soil; Consistently moist, well-drained soil; Occasional periods of dry soil; Prolonged periods of dry soil
See graphic below

Insect Disease

borers can be a serious problem; leaf miners may also be problematic

Bare Root Transplanting

Easy

Other

native to east-central U.S. (Pennsylvania to Iowa, south to Georgia and Oklahoma); widely used in Europe as a street tree. Prohibited as INVASIVE in New York State