| |
 Appearance:
Fast growing tree up to 75' in height
with black, deeply furrowed bark with flat-topped ridges, open crown.
Seedlings and root sprouts have sharp thorns and grow rapidly. Leaves:
Alternate, pinnately compound (leaflets on both sides of a common
stalk) with 7-21 elliptic, untoothed leaflets, with one leaflet at
the tip. A pair of short, sharp thorns sit at the base of each
leaf where it is attached to the twig. Flower:
Fragrant, drooping white flowers arranged in elongated clusters appear
in May and June. Seed:
Pods are smooth, 2-4 inches long; mature in September and persist
through winter. Also spreads vegetatively through root suckers. Root:
Extensive fibrous root system. |
Black locust invades primarily disturbed
habitats, degraded wood, thickets and old fields crowding out native
vegetation of prairies, oak savannas and upland forests, forming monotypic
stands. It reproduces vigorously by root suckering and stump sprouting
forming a common connecting root system. Native to the U.S., it occurs
naturally on the lower Appalachian mountain slopes and has been extensively
planted for its nitrogen-fixing qualities and its hard wood. |
 Wisconsin
Manual of Control Recommendations for Ecologically Invasive Plants,
1997 |
 |
|
