ROBINIA PSEUD ACACIA, L. 131 



Robinia Pseudacacia, L. 



Locust. 



Habitat and Range. In its native habitat growing upon 

 mountain slopes, along the borders of forests, in rich soils. 



Naturalized from Nova Scotia to Ontario. 



Maine, thoroughly at home, forming wooded banks along 

 streams ; New Hampshire, abundant enough to be reckoned 

 among the valuable timber trees ; Vermont, escaped from 

 cultivation in many places ; Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and 

 Connecticut, common in patches and thickets and along the 

 roadsides and fences. 



Native from southern Pennsylvania along the mountains to 

 Georgia ; west to Iowa and southward. 



Habit. Mostly a small tree, 20-35 feet high, under 

 favorable conditions reaching a height of 50-75 feet; trunk 

 diameter 8 inches to 2\ feet; lower branches thrown out 

 horizontally or at a broad angle, forming a few-branched, 

 spreading top, clothed with a tender green, delicate, tremulous 

 foliage, and distinguished in early June by loose, pendulous 

 clusters of white fragrant flowers. 



Bark. Bark of trunk dark, rough and seamy even in 

 young trees, and armed with stout prickles which disappear 

 as the tree matures ; in old trees coarsely, deeply, and firmly 

 ridged, not flaky ; larger branches a dull brown, rough ; branch- 

 lets grayish-brown, armed with prickles ; season's shoots green, 

 more or less rough-dotted, thin, and often striped. 



Winter Buds and Leaves. Winter buds minute, partially 

 sunken within the leaf-scar. Leaves pinnately compound, 

 alternate ; petiole swollen at the base, covering bud of the 

 next season; often with spines in the place of stipules ; leaf- 

 lets 7-21, opposite or scattered, f-1^ inches long, about half as 

 wide, light green ; outline ovate or oval-oblong ; apex round 

 or obtuse, tipped with a minute point ; base truncate, rounded, 

 obtuse or acutish ; distinctly short-stalked ; stipellate at first. 



