Black Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia
Black locust drips with fragrant white pea-flower chains in spring, a premier honeybee tree, and fixes nitrogen on the poorest ground. Fast and tough, but it suckers aggressively and spreads beyond its Appalachian native range — site with care.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 40–80 ft
- Spacing
- 30–50 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline, acidic
- Bloom
- May, June
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, larval host, songbirds
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~72 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen, erosion control
- Native states
- AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV