Robinia pseudoacacia
Phanerophyte
Phanerophyte
Tamil Nadu: Dindigul
Black locust is an early successional plant, preferring full sun, well drained soils and little competition. It is commonly found in disturbed areas such as old fields, degraded woods, and roadsides. Due to its rapid growth, black locust has been promoted by state and federal agencies and nurseries, and is sometimes planted in or near prairies, oak savannas and native woodland edges.
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 8
Specimens with Barcodes: 21
Species With Barcodes: 1
black locust
false acacia
yellow locust
white locust
green locust
post locust
Black locust is native to the United States, though the extent of its original range is not accurately known. It is thought that black locust was originally found in 2 regions. The eastern region was centered in the Appalachian Mountains and ranged from central Pennsylvania and southern Ohio south to northeastern Alabama, northern Georgia, and northwestern South Carolina. The western region included the Ozark Plateau of southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, and northeastern Oklahoma and the Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. It is thought that outlying native populations existed in southern Indiana and Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia (review by [167]). The US Geological Survey provides a distributional map of black locust's native range in North America.
Black locust has been widely planted and frequently escapes cultivation ([53,123,124,128,190,215,325,360], review by [167]). As of 2009, it occurred throughout the conterminous United States and a number of Canadian provinces. Plants Database provides a map of black locust's distribution in North America. Black locust also occurs in parts of South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia (review by [340]).
Black locust grows naturally over a wide range of soils and topography. The most common orders of soil within its native range are Inceptisols, Ultisols, and Alfisols, and the most common soil great groups are Hapludults, Paleudults, Dystrochrepts, and Eutrochrepts (41). The species does best on moist, rich, loamy soils or those of limestone origin and thrives best on moist slopes of the eastern mountains below 1040 in (3,400 ft) (18,21). In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the upper elevational limit is 1620 ni (5,300 ft) (46). Black locust has become established on a wide variety of disturbed sites such as old fields or other cleared areas.
Black locust is very sensitive to poorly drained or compact plastic soils. Excessively dry sites are also poor for the species. Yellow, brown, or reddish-brown subsoils without pronounced mottling are better than gray, bluish-gray, or yellow subsoils mottled any color. Silt loams, sandy loams, and the lighter textured soils are superior to clay, silty clay loams, and the heavier soils. In the Central States, growth of black locust plantations was found to be closely correlated to plasticity, compactness, and structure of the subsoil, all of which influence drainage and aeration. Growth was unfavorably affected by insufficient or excessive drainage. Soil pH from 4.6 to 8.2 and the amount of mineral nutrients present showed no relationship to growth. Growth was best on limestone-derived soils and soils without pronounced subsoil development (37).
On West Virginia spoil banks, black locust was the most successful species, but survival declined as slope increased. On slopes greater than 25 percent, each 10 percent increase in slope decreased survival 3.4 percent. On slopes steeper than 40 percent, growth was inversely related to slope steepness. Survival was about 80 percent at elevations of 340 to 670 m (1,100 to 2,200 ft). Above 670 m (2,200 ft), survival decreased steadily with increasing elevation and at 1330 m (4,350 ft) survival was less than 65 percent (7).
Although black locust has done well in mine spoil banks in the Central States, it has failed consistently when planted on badly eroded, compacted, clayey soils of the southern Appalachian Region (21). In the Arkansas Ozarks, many plantations on worn out and eroded fields were complete failures. On the southwestern Coastal Plain of Arkansas, plantations on sites previously in agricultural crops failed because of slow growth due to low soil fertility, repeated attacks by the locust borer (Megacyllene robiniae), and invasion of pine (32).
More info for the term: breeding system
Black locust reproduces both from seed and by sprouting from the roots or stump. Sprouting is considered more common than sexual reproduction. Limited seed dispersal, seed coat impermeability, and high light requirements for germination all limit reproduction by seed.
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Robinia+pseudoacacia |
Black locust has been planted in many temperate climates and is naturalized throughout the United States, within and outside of its historical range, and in some parts of Europe.