Black Locust - Robinia pseudoacacia Black Locust is a fast-growing deciduous tree that can grow up to 17 metres tall. It's native to the USA but has been naturalised in many of the world's continents and is extensively naturalised in Australia, where it is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria, the ACT, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. This is hardly surprising give that a) all parts are toxic, including the bark. I read a report of 7 boys who ate the bark and were hospitalised in severe abdominal distress. One boy lapsed into a coma but fortunately all recovered. Horses are especially susceptible as they will eat the young trees even if other feed is available and b) the tree produces vigorous suckers especially, but not only, if it is damaged and can create a mini-forest of its clones in a short time. When I came to the block there was a small Black Locust tree with a couple of 'saplings' nearby. They were in flower at the time and i thought rather nice, apart from the rather nasty thorns. I had no idea what they were and have only recently found out. One of the saplings got damaged and then I noticed more of them popping up. It was decided that the main tree had to go, but this just made things worse. Despite removing the stump and as many laterals as possible there was (and continues to be) an after-winter revival with new trees emerging along the many suckering pathways. They come up after having travelled through metres of limestone, in sheds, hidden in garden beds. One managed to get 15 metres through almost solid limestone. It's been five years now of removing them as soon as they appear and chopping through the suckering lines yet they still have enough stored energy underground to stay alive. Now that's tenacious - but so am I. There are modern cultivars reportedly less invasive, some without thorns, and I did see a very large tree in flower that looked wonderful but there are so many wonderful Australian trees that I'd rather make room for. For a list of invasive species where you live in Australia and some alternatives visit the website 'grow me instead'.
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