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Robinia pseudoacacia
Black locust
Black locust (Eng), falsa acacia, robinia (Spa), robínia (Cat), azkasi (Baq), falsa acaca (Glg), falsa-acácia (Por).
Non-native
DID YOU KNOW...? The showy white flowers of this species are eaten like candy and are known as 'bread and cheese'.
DESCRIPTION
This legume is a fast growing tree that can be up to 25 m tall and which has grey, fissured bark. Its leaves are deciduous, alternate and compound, with 3-11 leaflets, always in an odd number (odd-pinnate). The margin of the leaflets is entire, oval or rounded, often with a notched apex and a bluish-green upper side. At the base of the complete leaf there are sometimes two spines arranged one on either side of the stalk. The numerous, white, aromatic flowers bloom at the end of spring in hanging clusters. The fruits are legumes, 3-12 cm long by 1-1.5 cm wide. They are more or less flattened, not shiny, and dangle down at the ends of the branches.
ECOLOGY
As a plant that has become established in the wild, it can be found on slopes and roadsides, in ditches, on wasteland, and in cool and humid forests. It is indifferent to soil type and lives from sea level up to altitudes of 1600 m. Often in the summer you can see many specimens that are attacked by aphids. These suck out the juices and produce a viscous liquid that splashes all over the immediate vicinity.
DISTRIBUTION
The black locust is originally from the central and eastern United States. On the Iberian Peninsula is widely distributed as an ornamental plant and has become established in the wild in many places. It is included in the Atlas of invasive alien plants of Spain.
