THE LOCUSTS AND YELLOWWOOD 



from the supposition that this tree was a species 

 of the Egyptian acacia from its prickly branches 

 and pinnate leaves, which are like those of that 

 tree. It was called "locust tree" by English 

 missionaries who collected it first and fancied 

 that it was the tree that nourished John the 

 Baptist in the wilderness. 



It was one of the first American trees to 

 attract attention in Europe, and it has been 

 extensively cultivated there. 



The locust is not a native of New England, 

 but it grows wild south of Pennsylvania and it 

 is widely naturalized throughout the United 

 States east of the Rocky Mountains. 



The clammy locust [Robinia viscosa) is a 

 small tree or shrub easily distinguished from 

 the common locust by its stems and young 

 branches, which are clammy and sticky to the 

 touch. It is a native of the mountains of 

 North Carolina, and it has been extensively cul- 

 tivated as far north as Eastern Massachusetts. 



The specific name, viscosa, is from the Latin 

 adjective meaning full of birdlime, sticky, and 

 refers to the peculiar clamminess of the stems. 



Robinia hispida, the rose acacia, is an orna- 

 mental shrub cultivated in gardens and found 

 growing wild from Virginia southward. The 

 specific name, hispida (bristly), refers to the 



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