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Black Locust
Scientific Name:
Robinia pseudoacacia
Type:
Tree
Habitat:
Forests, shrublands, and grasslands
Range:
Native to the southeastern United States, cultivated and naturalized in temperate habitats around the world
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NON-NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Black locusts are deciduous trees that usually grow between 30 and 72 feet tall. They have compound leaves (where multiple leaflets are attached to a single stem) that can have up to 19 leaflets. Black locusts' branches are a red-brown color. These trees have pairs of small spikes at the base of each leaf.
Fast Facts:
Black locusts are members of the Fabaceae (or pea) taxonomic family, along with plants such as garden peas, peanuts, and mesquite.
While cultivated around the world, black locusts' native range follows the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to Alabama, with a secondary population in the Ozark mountains.
Because of their hard, durable wood, black locusts are often utilized for fencing, mine timbers, and railroad ties.
Sources:
USDA Plants Database, Robinia pseudoacacia,2021, https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=rops
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Robinia pseudoacacia,2017, https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ROPS
IUCN Red List, Black Locust, 2012, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19891648/20138922
Image: Chris Light, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Locust_2016-05-28_008.jpg, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en, cropped from original.
Image: David Illig, https://www.flickr.com/photos/primeval/49927316227, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Haley McGuire (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)