Black Locust / Bagrem

Description:

With a trunk up to 0.8 m diameter (exceptionally up to 52 m tall and 1.6 m diameter in very old trees), with thick, deeply furrowed blackish bark. The leaves are 10 - 25 cm long, pinnate with 9 -19 oval leaflets, 2 - 5 cm long and 1.5 - 3 cm broad. Each leaf usually has a pair of short thorns at the base, 1 - 2 mm long or absent on adult crown shoots, up to 2 cm long on vigorous young plants. The intensely fragrant (reminiscent of orange blossoms) flowers are white, borne in pendulous racemes 8 - 20 cm long, and are edible. The fruit is a legume 5 - 10 cm long, containing 4 -10 seeds. Although similar in general appearance to the honey locust, it lacks that tree's characteristic long branched spines on the trunk, instead having the pairs of short thorns at the base of each leaf; the leaflets are also much broader.

Habitat:

It is native to the southeastern US, but has been widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in temperate North America, Europe, Southern Africa and Asia and is considered an invasive species in some areas.

Notes:

A less frequently used common name is False Acacia, which is a literal translation of the specific epithet. It was introduced into Britain in 1636.