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Robinia pseudoacacia

Robinia pseudoacacia

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Order
Fabales
Family
Fabaceace
Genus
Robinia
Species
ROBINIA PSEUDOACACIA
Synonyms
black locust

Habitat / Home / Areal

It comes from North America to Europe in the 17th century.

Botanical description

Habitus: Black locust has a shallow root system, the main vein develops numerous side veins that can be up to 20 meters long. It grows up to meters in height, and the trunk is up to 50 meters in diameter. The crown is branched and sparse, while the branches are thorny, mostly winding. 

Flower: Its flowers are fragrant, have short stems and grow in bunches. The calyx is light green, bell-shaped and covered with hairs. It consists of 5 fused leaves, while the wreath is up to 2 cm long and made of white petals with a flag that has a yellow spot. The anthers have fused together into a tube, 9 of them, while one anther is free, the carpel has grown. The fruits are pendulous, flat pods 5-10 cm long, each containing 5-10 kidney shaped brown seeds. Individual pods remain hanging on the tree through the winter.

Leaves: leaves are 15-30 cm long, compound, oddly pinnate and located on a very short stem.

Growth conditions / Cultivation / Care

Locust grows on dry, moderately moist and sandy soils. Good drainage is the most important thing for acacia, because it cannot tolerate water-retaining, compacted and eroded soils. It grows in areas with moderately moist soils, but can tolerate climates with less precipitation and mountain and lowland climatic zones. It needs a lot of sun, it does not tolerate shade.

Gallery

Use / Function and landscape

  • Solitary planting
  • Planting in groups
  • For tree rows
  • A fruit with an interesting shape for arranging
  • Afforestation due to the rapid growth of seedlings
  • Honey plant
  • It can be planted to fertilize the soil because it binds nitrogen in the soil with its roots

Special use

  • Leaves and flowers are harvested – when consuming the leaves, be careful not to consume too large quantities, the leaves can be breaded (they taste like breaded zucchini)
  • The flowers contain vitamin C, they are used to make marmalade and wine
  • Locust seeds are also edible, they are rich in proteins, they need to be boiled before consumption, after which they are fried and used as a substitute for coffee.

Reproduction

Locust spreads vegetatively, i.e. by shoots or underground shoots. It can also reproduce by generative means. For planting a single tree, the easiest way to propagate acacia is by cuttings.

Varieties

Robinia pseudoacacia var. Pendula 

Robinia pseudoacacia var. Pyramidalis

Robinia pseudoacacia var. Decaisneana

Diseases and pests

Diseases: parasitic fungus, heart rot

Pests: locust grasshopper, moth