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
- 30–50 ft
- Spacing
- 20–35 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- April, May, June
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- songbirds, butterflies, hummingbirds, pollinators
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~72 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, CA, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV