

TRCCS 



BLACK LOCUST (Yellow Locust) 



{RoMnia pseudacacia L.) 



•-pHE black locust occurs throughout the entire 

 i State and in all soils and conditions of moisture 

 except in swamps. It is found as a forest tree only 

 in the mountains, where it attains a height of 80 to 

 100 feet and a diameter of 30 inches. Throughout 

 the other sections of the State it occurs generally 

 in thickets on clay banks or waste places, or singly 



along fence rows. 

 The twigs and 

 branchlets are armed 

 with straight o r 

 slightly curved sharp, 

 strong spines, some- 

 times as much as 1 

 inch in length which 

 remain attached to 

 the outer bark for 

 many years. The 

 bark is dark brown 

 and divides into 

 strips as the tree 

 grows older. 



The leaves are pin- 

 nate, or feather-Uke, 

 from 6 to 10 inches 

 in length, consisting 

 of from 7 to 19 ob- 

 long thin leaflets. 



The flowers are 

 fragrant, white or 

 cream-colored, and 

 appear i n early 

 spring in graceful 

 pendant racemes. 

 The fruit is a pod 

 from 3 to 5 inches long containing 4 to 8 small hard 

 seeds which ripen late in the fall. The pod splits 

 open during the winter, discharging the seeds. Some 

 seeds usually remain attached to each half of the 

 pod, and this acts as a wing upon which the seeds 

 are borne to considerable distances before the strong 

 spring winds. 



The wood is yellow in color, coarse-grained, very 

 heavy, very hard, strong, and very durable in con- 

 tact with the soil. It is used extensively for fence 

 posts, poles, tree nails, insulator pins and occasion- 

 ally for lumber and fuel. 



BLACK LOCUST 

 Leaf, one-third natural size. 

 Twig, two-thirds natural size. 



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