Black Locust

Great Gardening Stuff trees  


Black Locust

The Black Locust tree, Robinia pseudoacacia, is sometimes called the yellow locust. Black Locust trees grow naturally on a wide range of sites but does best on rich moist limestone soils. It has escaped cultivation and become naturalized throughout eastern North America and parts of the West. Black locust is not a commercial timber species but is useful for many other purposes. This deciduous tree is a nitrogen fixer and has rapid juvenile growth. It is widely planted as an ornamental, for shelterbelts, and for land reclamation. This fast growing Locust tree is suitable for fuel wood and pulp and provides cover for wildlife, browse for deer, and cavities for birds. It is a very thorny tree which can attain a height of 70-80 feet and can have a diameter of 2-3 feet. The flowers are white, fragrant, and hang in clusters. The individual leaves are small and egg-shaped. ... more information

 

Black Cottonwood The Black Cottonwood, 'Populus trichocarpa', is the largest of the American poplars. It is also known also as balsam cottonwood, western balsam poplar, and California poplar. The Black Cottonwood prefers moist sites. Many kinds of wildlife use the foliage, twigs, and buds for food, and the tree is planted for shade and in windbreaks and shelterbelts. Its dark green leaves contrast beautifully with its white trunk. This tree will become more drought tolerant when it is established. The leaf buds, as they swell in the spring, and the young leaves have a pleasing fragrance of balsam. The fragrance is especially pronounced as the leaves unfold.

Black Locust