These beautiful purple-pink blooms belong to the black locust tree in our front yard. This was an impulse purchase about 6 years ago after we read about black locust trees, and how useful they can be to farmers. They grow very quickly, reproduce on their own via underground shoots (read: if you DON’T want them to reproduce, you’ll be pulling up a few “volunteers” every year), and make excellent, nearly rot-proof fence posts. We were intrigued, planted one in March 2003, and the gorgeous blooms that appeared a few weeks later proved a big bonus. The blooms have a heady perfume, sort of a cross between a lilac and honeysuckle, and when the wind is in the right direction, you can smell them all the way across the yard. The foliage is reminiscent of palm fronds, very pretty, and the tree indeed grows quite quickly. It was perhaps 6-8 feet tall when we planted it, and now it is probably three times that size. Other than staking it that first year, when a hurricane came through, we’ve never done a thing to it other than enjoy the blooms.
The swamp locusts that grow behind my fence have similar blooms that are far less showy -- sort of a dirty greenish white -- but have the same heavy fragrance. When I was working in the yard on Saturday, I kept wondering what incredible perfume I was smelling, whether jasmine or something was growing nearby, and finally realized that the swamp locusts were blooming. The flower clusters tend to blend in with their foliage more than they do on the black locusts and can be hard to see in the shadows, as mine usually are.
Black locusts are interesting plants. They are a major source of nectar for honey production and will grow readily in very poor soil. The wood is extremely hard and valuable as firewood -- the heat content is comparable to that of anthracite, higher than any other tree species in the eastern United States, and the wood burns cleanly, with little smoke. Mature trees will reach 70 feet in height, but are susceptible to locust borers -- otherwise this would be highly valuable as a timber tree. As I said earlier, it is nearly rot proof; flavanoids in the wood allow it to remain intact in the soil for 100 years or more. The flowers are edible, but the seed pods that follow them are highly toxic. Because the palm-like foliage casts only a light, dappled shade, allowing grass to grow underneath, these are good trees for suburban yards.
© K. Wills Sterling, 2009
