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Black locust

Robinia pseudoacacia

Summary 5

Robinia pseudoacacia is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree commonly known as black locust. It originated in the eastern United States and has been widely planted and naturalized in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. It is considered an invasive species in some areas of the United States.

Botanical Information 6

The black locust is a deciduous, flowering tree from the pea family. It is sometimes called the common locust, yellow locust, green locust and false acacia. It can grow to be 30-50 feet tall. The branches have spines that are 1.25 inches long. The dark blue-green leaves are compound which means that each leaf is divided into about 23 small, oval-shaped leaflets. The inflorescence looks like a downward hanging cone with white, fragrant flowers. It produces purple-brown seed pods that are 4-5 inches long.

Ecological Information 6

The black locust is considered a prolific tree and can grow in a wide range of soils and tolerate drought. It reproduces by self-seeding and the roots can put up "suckers" or other baby trees. It grows best in full sun and does not like shade. Like many of the plants in the pea family, its roots fix nitrogen and help improve soil quality. They are eaten by white-tailed deer, squirrels, eastern cottontails, and wild turkeys. The flowers attract bees and the tree makes a good home for birds, especially woodpeckers.

Ethnobotanical Information 7

The young pods of the black locust and their flowers are edible when cooked but their branches and leaves are considered toxic. The Cherokee people used the root as an emetic, to induce vomiting, and also for toothaches. They used the wood from the black locust tree for building houses and fence posts. (Note: Ethnographic reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)

References 8

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ROPS
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/r/robinia-pseudoacacia=black-locust.php
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c143%22
http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/3406/
http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/trees/Black_locust/index.html

About the Author 7

Student author(s)*: Fernanda (age 12) and Wendy (age 13) from South Valley Academy

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Dan Mullen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/8583446@N05/9396177409/
  2. (c) TCDavis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/30556912@N00/509950940
  3. (c) Svetlana Lisova, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/63478863@N04/5777404069/
  4. (c) SuperFantastic, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/superfantastic/26993339971/
  5. Adapted by smiller33 from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinia_pseudoacacia
  6. Adapted by smiller33 from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  7. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  8. Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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