Provence plants: black locust - Provence by Rachida

Black locust: illustrated description

The black locust forms colonies through root suckers, which harms local biodiversity.
The black locust is particularly appreciated for its decorative appearance: its fragrant white flowers form pretty hanging clusters, and its foliage is elegant.
The black locust is melliferous : its flowers are very rich in nectar and produce a highly prized clear honey (known as ‘acacia honey’).
Black locust flowering period:
May & June.
The black locust is toxic: all parts of the tree are toxic, except for its flowers (used in cooking to make ‘acacia flower fritters’).

The black locust is also known as the “false acacia“.
Native to the north-eastern United States (Appalachian Mountains), the black locust is considered an ‘invasive’ species in Provence, where it thrives and is very common.
The black locust belongs to the Fabaceae family, the largest and most diverse family of plants, particularly prevalent around the Mediterranean.
The black locust adapts to a wide variety of soils and tolerates drought and extreme temperatures well.
Black locusts grows rapidly, making it a pioneer species.
Black locust has an average height of between 10 and 20 metres high, but can reach 30 metres in height.

Description of the black locust:
- Deeply fissured bark;
- White (fragrant) flowers in clusters (10 to 20 cm long);
- Pinnate leaves: the leaves are made up of leaflets, arranged symmetrically on either side of the central stem;
- Imparipinnate leaves: this means that there is an odd number of leaflets. In fact, at the end of each leaf there is an unpaired terminal leaflet.