Robinia is a genus of about 10 species native to eastern North America and Mexico. The

genus Robinia is dedicated to Jean Robin (1550-1629) and his son Vespasian Robin (1579-

1662), herbalists to kings of France and first to cultivate locust in Europe.

Robinia kelseyi        Kelsey locust

Robinia neomexicana locust, Mexican locust, New Mexican locust, New Mexican ro­binia, New Mexico locust, southwestern locust, thorny locust, western locust

Robinia pseudoacacia* acacia, bastard locust, black laurel, black locust, common lo­cust, common robinia, false acacia, false black locust, green locust, honey locust, locust, peaflower locust, post locust, red locust, ro­binia, shipmast locust, white locust, white honey-flower, yellow locust

Robinia viscosa        black locust, clammy-bark locust, clammy locust, false acacia,

honey locust, red locust, red-flowering locust, rose acacia, rose- flowering locust

* commercial species

Distribution: Black locust is native to the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania to northern Georgia and Alabama and to the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Also in southern Illinois and Indiana. Black locust has been exten­sively naturalized in the United States and Canada.

The Tree: Black locust reaches a height of 100 ft (30 m), with a diameter of 3 ft (1 m).

General Wood Characteristics: The sapwood of black locust is a creamy white, while the heartwood varies from a greenish yellow to dark brown. The wood turns a reddish brown when exposed to the air. The wood is often confused with osage orange (Maclura pomifera). It has a high density and decay resistance. It shows slight shrinkage and stays in place well. Black locust is very strong in bending and is one of the hardest woods in America. Its shock resistance is almost that of hickory (Carya spp.).

aReferences: specific gravity, green and 12%, (98); specific gravity, ovendry, (59); weight, (59).

 

Mechanical propertiesa

 

Drying and shrinkagea

Percentage of shrinkage (green to final moisture content)

Type of shrinkage        0% MC        6% MC 20% MC

Tangential        7.2        5.8        2.4

Radial        4.6        3.7        1.5

Volumetric        10.2        8.2        3.4

aReferences: 0% MC, (98); 6% and 20% MC, (90).

 

Working Properties: Black locust is difficult to work with hand tools, but it turns well on a lathe and nails well. It has no distinctive odor or taste.

Durability: Rated as exceptionally resistant to heartwood decay. Preservation: No information available at this time.

Uses: Fencing, insulator pins, furniture, mine timbers, treenails for ships. The trees are used in strip mine reclamation because of their ability to survive the acid conditions and for their nitrogen-fixing roots.

Toxicity: There are reports of dermatitis from the wood (4, 9, 17). Additional Reading: 20, 29, 41, 55, 60, 68, 74, 82, 104.

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