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Tree Project.
Robinia Pseudoacaia Frisia.
Robinias come from a
small area in the US, but have been widely naturalised in Australia,
South Africa, Asia and and are also widely planted in Europe. The
Pseudoacacia is Latin and gives the tree its common name of “False
Acacia,” but it is also known as the Golden Locust.
Most varieties have very sharp and nasty thorns which means that you
have to be careful where you plant one. I had one in my garden, but it
was by a path and some steps that made it very dangerous, so I had to
remove it as it got bigger and plant some a little safer.
Robinias are
quite hardy down to minus 20 deg c and will tolerate poor soil which
helps with their popularity. They only grow up to 12m maximum and take
about 20 years to reach 8m. They are Deciduous with small golden yellow
leaves, but do not the like wind otherwise they are not fussy where they
are planted. Trees will sucker and can become invasive with their fast
growing roots. However, Robinias do have several other problems and one
is that they have brittle branches that may snap off in strong wind.
Trees are also susceptible to several fungal type infections especially
in wet conditions. All parts are also poisonous - especially the seed
pods. Their 12inch pinnate leaves divide up into small leaflets. Being a
member of the Legume Family, their pendant Racemes of flowers are
similar to those of the pea. Flowers that come in June are usually
white, although there are some pink and mauve cultivars. These are
followed in the autumn by 4 inch long seed pods. However, trees are
reluctant to flower and they are not usually grown for these, but their
ornamental leaves and their small size. Trees branches do not spread
widely, but grow fairly close to the main trunk giving them a compact
appearance. However, pruning can be done in late Summer, or Autumn to
make the tree a more pleasing shape.
Propagation is easy by seed, but seedlings may not come true to the
parent plant.
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