wood), its branches are actually brittle and damage easily in high winds. Black locust Flowers Conservation status Least Concern Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Robinia Species: R. pseudoacacia Binomial name Robinia pseudoacacia L. Native range Robinia pseudoacacia, commonly known in its native territory as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae. The beauty of this mid-sized ornamental tree is that they can grow in just about any condition as long as the soil drains quickly after a rain. It never lies to me because when I found out mom got put into the hospital last week and the doctors didn’t know if she would make it, when I found out that dad who works as a day laborer couldn’t find work because of the California drought, when I found out that I had already been working 19 hours a week for all four years to send my paycheck home every week to my poor family but that they needed more to buy groceries now, I cried and forgot how to breathe. Adult locusts typically live about 10 weeks. The green and yellow hues were beautiful. A large part of the trees that grow on Pittsburgh''s hillsides are Black Locust. Or posts, which if sawn or rived could end up being free of heart (pith), and would likely last forever. Its crown has an irregular outline with general oval shape, while its branches grow mostly upright and do not droop. Appreciate the age of the tree. Black Locust Overview. Black locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia, USDA zones 4 through 8) are at their best in late spring, when trailing clusters of 5-inch, fragrant flowers bloom at the tips on new branches.The flowers attract honeybees, which use the nectar to make excellent honey. As a child I marveled at the coarse bark and the tall, lanky stature of these wonderful trees. As a bandmill sawyer, last year I started sawing the wood, and what a surprise, it saws just as easy as cherry, and the grain and color is out of this world. It has an exceptional heat output. Colorful foliage throughout much of the year and an attractive shape add to this tree's appeal for the home landscape. Black locust trees can reach heights of 70 to 80 feet but are more often 30 to 50 feet tall. Growing locust trees is easy and they adapt well to lawn and street conditions. Different species have additional features that make them unique and easier to identify, like the range of their size and their variety of colors. A remarkable feature of the black locust is its ability to grow new branches by sprouting new roots and shoots. Many municipalities across the country short of cash are harvesting trees from city parks to manage their budgets. Black Locust trees usually grow to between 12 to 30 meters high, or 40 to 100 feet high. Black Locust trees are singularly planted in a mono-cropped one-spiral plantation. Produces small, greenish-yellow blossoms arranged around spike-like stalks that are notably fragrant. Gleditsia is a genus of locust trees in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae, native to North America and Asia. When the pith is included in the cut of wood, there is a chance it could rot from the inside out. They don't grow fast. Native to eastern and southern parts of the United States. An average 200 trees per acre is common. The fruits are dark brown to almost black in color and 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) long. Black locust shade trees or lawn specimens can be protected from borers by spraying the trunks and the larger limbs with a lindane emulsion. These are fast-growing trees. They are mostly clear grained (branchless along most of its truck) with well developed root systems that dramatically increase survivability after transplant. The Black Locust Tree grows well in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9. In its early stages, the bark of the black locust is smooth and green while mature trees have bark that is dark brown, deeply furrowed, and topped with ridges. Hard to work? Locust trees can live for over a hundred years, and the wood is one of the hardest woods from any deciduous tree. Black Locust trees have a narrow crown that tends to become bushy as the tree ages. I've been here 14 years, they're maybe 10 inches in diameter, same as when I … the blue goes through me like a sensitive knife. The wood is weak and brittle, subject to storm damage. It is the perfect wood for fence and deck posts. 5. Black Locust Identification One major identifier is the long compound leaves with up to 19 leaflets which present the typical and unique locust leaf profile (not to be confused with the twice compound leaves of honey locust). I live in (West) Vancouver BC , and in a huge windstorm in 2006, this tree was blown down. I move thoughtfully from branch to branch, Across the river the sticks are coming to life, and Mithras and Moses and Jesus are swaying and bowing. It never lies to me. The finished product was better than I could imagine. The best time to plant a Black Locust tree was 20 years ago. Its importance as a non-toxic chemical free wood cannot be understated given the present state of the environment and water quality across the country. Because of its need for minimal maintenance, the, is ideal for reclamation projects and roadside planting. Every day the dark blue sky of brother Van Gogh, and every day the blue gentians of brother Lawrence. A relatively pure locust honey is also high in fructose, nearly clear in color, and that it makes it—like the wood from locust trees—a viable candidate for long-term storage. The stem circumference is measured at a height of 1.00 m (3.3 ft.) to 1.50 m (4.5 ft.). http://www.edibleacres.org Black Locust - Robinia Pseudoacacia I share notes here on this powerful and useful tree in our young food forest landscape. By using the existing root system to grow new tree shoots, a Black Locust tree plantation becomes a sustainable resource for a variety of wood products including structural timber, hardwood florring, fence posts, ground contact landscape timber, split rail fencing and wood pellets. Black locust invades dry or moist open woodlands, stream valleys, pastures, thickets and roadsides. Sunburst honey locust is a member of the pea family along with well-known landscape plants like lupine and wisteria. Adults It takes approximately two weeks for the fledgling locust to reach sexual maturity. Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), also known as thorny locust or thorn tree, is a medium sized tree with pleasing, graceful foliage. The hospital itself was established pre-1890, and the grounds (400+ acres) were apparently planted with many of these trees, many of them now over 75-80 feet in height. This is how we talk. The Black Locust Tree grows well in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9. Too tough to fool with. Unsure how to not be strong, my shaking arms wrapped around the furrowed, imperfect bark, learning themselves how to be imperfect. It flourishes in full sun, well-drained soils, and little competition. Purple Robe Locust trees are very hard wooded and will tolerate storms well. Apparently acacia, as many call it, was planted along the Fraser River as fuel for the paddle wheelers in the 19th Century, and is occasionally milled around here. These flowers produce a delicious and much sought-after honey that bees love. The flowers give rise to reddish-black "berries" fed on by birds, 5–10 mm (1 ⁄ 4 – 3 ⁄ 8 in) in diameter. The Black Locust breathes faster than I do and with a larger, more altruistic purpose, without complexities, without pride, and with truth. Whaddaya expect when it's practically the most durable and stable wood available? Locust trees are hardy and fast-growing members of the pea family that grow well in various environments. Depending on market conditions, Black Locust tree plantations gross between $30,000 and $50,000 per acre in year 30 and double that in year 50. https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/v1-278.html#Wood, http://www.nps.gov/whmi/learn/nature/black-locust.htm, http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/black_locust.htm, http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pdf/rops1.pdf, http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/robpsea.pdf. Growing black locust trees is easy, but they can become weedy if you aren’t diligent about removing suckers. The menace of this insect should be carefully considered before choosing black locust as a tree to plant. While splitting the wood one can't help but notice a beautiful gold-green sheen to the heavy, straight veined splits. We build turnkey Crop Circle Tree Plantation projects that reclaim land, combat climate change, create carbon credits, initiate habitat renewal, build legacy forests and stable long-term timber investment. The Black Locust Tree does well or is tolerant in Well-Drained Clay, Loamy, Sandy, Acidic soil. Biology. The fruit of the black locust is classified as a legume. Among landscaping trees, honey locust has become very common, and with good reason. It is a long-lived tree that tolerates wind storms and ice. This tough specimen is also tolerant of various harsh environmental conditions lik… The tree grows with a single leader and thorns can be found on the trunk or branches. Gleditsia is a genus of locust trees in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae, native to North America and Asia. I gather it is also called false acacia. Adults It takes approximately two weeks for the fledgling locust to reach sexual maturity. It can last 150 years in the "clear shakes" form that people have used in roofing. If the tree has room to grow, on a heavy watered site in full sun, it is possible to gain one full inch of radial growth in just 6 years. This Crop Circle shaped plantation has several advantages over row-to-row plantations. What is a locust? Black Locust plantations cost around $5,000 per acre (based on a $25 price for each 10 foot tall tree sapling) depending on how many acres are planted for any given project – the more acres the lower the cost. So, learn from my mistake and if you ever cut down a Black Locust tree split the wood before it dries. and during the night I flap my two-foot wings. Nov 27, 2004 Jerkwater, KY. Although this tree will grow in shade, it may take 3 to 4 times longer to mature into a sizeable sawlog. It's a wonderful species for firewood – it burns hot and long if properly seasoned. black locust wood is best for this use since burrowing by larvae in older trees causes the wood to split during burning, flinging burning coals several feet from the fire! Purple Robe Black Locusts make great street trees, too, handling the tough conditions by your road with ease. Black locust was introduced into Britain in 1636 where it has slowly garnered a universal appeal to tree lovers. Although it may not have any of the familiar green pods we've come to know from the food aisle, the black locust tree belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae. Although virtually forgotten, the benefits of the Black Locust tree and Black Locust wood are seemingly endless; long-life in the ground, bee-attracting flowers for honey production, the highest tensile beam strength of any American tree including Ironwood, ability to reclaim land and stabilize erosion-prone hillsides because of a rebar-like interlacing root system, improves soil by fixing plant loving nitrogen to its roots and one of the highest BTU (British Thermal Unit) – (Utah State University). Features pinnately or bipinnately compound leaves approximately 8" long with 8–14 leaflets. I have not seen these trees elsewhere in Nova Scotia and have no idea where they came from. Black Locust Identification One major identifier is the long compound leaves with up to 19 leaflets which present the typical and unique locust leaf profile (not to be confused with the twice compound leaves of honey locust). Eroded areas along streams also provide potential habitat for seedling establishment. Technically black locust have some thorns too but they are so small they are easy to miss. “Fact Sheet: Black Locust,” Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group, May 20, 2005, accessed April 14, 2015. “Black Locust: Robinia pseudoacacia,” Fairfax County Public Schools, accessed April 14, 2015. I sawed a couple hundred board feet the other day to use as a floor for a kiln, due to the moisture resistance. Third, that root regeneration insures reforestation even after harvest, mechanical damage, or fire. You might think that the name honey locust comes from the sweet nectar that bees use to make honey, but it actually refers to the sweet fruit that is a treat for many types of wildlife. It can grow to a height of around 25 meters and a diameter of around one meter. 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