Robinia, Black Locust, Yellow False Acacia, Yellow Locust 'Frisia'

grows well in shade , (full sun makes the leafs dark by mid summer.)
I planted in container in full sun the first year.
spe...Read Morectacular here in my Japanese garden ,near a pond with blue hydrangea &, red leaf maple,hakone grass...
Saw blue fir and this tree together here in Tokyo ,- wow !!!

So far, positive. I fell hard for this tree when I saw a row of 5 of them swaying gracefully in the wind. The chartreuse leaves gave a ...Read Moreglow to the otherwise-green surroundings. I had read of the suckering and I'll admit it put me off. I've planted my own row of 4 trees and am still keeping an eye out for suckering 5 years later. I've seen neighbors with enormous trees and have been told there is occasional suckering but if sliced off AT the root they don't recur for the rest of the year. Some trees, the nursery tells me, have an over-active hormone near the end of the roots which causes the suckering. They confirm cutting the sprout off at the root level, leaving NO sprout will keep it at bay. I've seen yards and fields left unkempt in the area and young trees are forming groves. If this becomes a problem, out they come and start the round-up treatment for suckers. My heart will be broken because they are a sight for sore eyes in my Washington state home where we are engulfed in dark evergreens and big leaf maples. They survive in drought but I've been told stressful conditions can encourage suckering in an effort to keep the species going, so I do water in the hot part of summer. For now I'm enjoying the graceful beauty of those waving branches across the pond showing their spectacular color amongst the evergreens with the towering mountains behind them. Lovely just.

This cultivar differs from the species in the bright golden to chartreuse color of the foliage. It's also said to have reduced flowering....Read More Plants in commerce are grafted on seed-grown black locust, so the root suckers will not have golden foliage.

The species is a thorny ornamental tree with beautiful, highly fragrant flowers in late May/early June. Long popular in Europe, here in the northeastern US it's all too often afflicted by leaf miner (which ruins the foliage) and locust borer. The wood is brittle and storms frequently leave lots of broken branches, requiring cleanup and pruning. The prolific root suckering can be problematic in gardens. All parts are poisonous except the flowers.

Perhaps best cut back annually, to maintain it as a shrub.

This species is not considered invasive in the southwestern US, where it can make a fast-growing, moderately xeric landscape tree. It should be pruned to a single leader when young to reduce its proneness to wind damage. There are cultivars with few thorns and better flowering.

In eastern and midwestern North America, where it's planted outside its native range it can invade natural areas, especially open scrub-pine/oak forests on sunny upland sites with sandy soil. It forms clonal colonies that can spread by root suckering 3-10' per year. Not native to New England.

It is illegal to trade, transport, buy, sell, or plant this species in Massachusetts. It's also on the Connecticut state invasive plant list.

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is considered invasive by the Minnesota DNR
"Ecological Threat:

* Invades p...Read Morerimarily disturbed habitats, degraded wood, thickets and old fields crowding out native vegetation of prairies, oak savannas and upland forests, forming single species stands.
* It reproduces vigorously by root suckering and stump sprouting forming a common connecting root system.
* It is native to the U.S. and occurs naturally on the lower Appalachian mountain slopes. It has been extensively planted for its nitrogen-fixing qualities and its hard wood."