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Bristly Locust

Robinia hispida

70
Strong

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
2–10 feet
Spread
5–15 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 10 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Spring and summer

Recorded in 9 Mississippi counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

60CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Robinia

  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-spotted Skipper
  • Abaeis mexicanaMexican Yellow, Wolf-Face Yellow
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Agonopterix robiniellaFour-Dotted Agonopterix Moth, Locust Leaffolder
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Show all 60
  • Aroga trialbamaculellaRed-Striped Fireworm Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Caloptilia stigmatellaPoplar Caloptilia
  • Catocala illectaMagdalen Underwing
  • Celiptera frustulumBlack Bit Moth
  • Ceratomia amyntorElm Sphinx
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
  • Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Digrammia ocellinataFaint-Spotted Angle
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ecdytolopha insiticianaLocust Twig Borer Moth
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Euparthenos nubilisLocust Underwing
  • Gesta icelusDreamy Duskywing
  • Gesta zaruccoZarucco Duskywing
  • Gymnandrosoma punctidiscanumDotted Gymnast, Dotted Ecdytolopha
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Heliomata cycladataCommon Spring Moth, Stout Locust Looper
  • Heliomata infulataRare Spring Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Mellilla xanthometataOrange Wing
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Norape cretataWhite Flannel Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Parectopa robiniellaLocust Digitate Leafminer
  • Pero honestariaHonest Pero
  • Prionoxystus robiniaeCarpenterworm Moth, Black Locust Borer, Cottonwood Borer
  • Pseudanthracia coraciasPseudanthracia Moth
  • Psilocorsis cryptolechiellaBlack-Fringed Leaftier
  • Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
  • Sciota subcaesiellaLocust Leafroller
  • Sciota virgatellaBlack-Spotted Leafroller
  • Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Syssphinx bicolorHoney Locust Moth
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tlascala reductellaTlascala Moth, Honey Locust Leafroller
  • Zale undularisBlack Zale
  • Zale unilineataOne-Lined Zale
  • Sinoe robiniella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Robinia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Robinia

  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Columba liviaRock Pigeon
  • Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–8b
Flower color
Pink

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG4 [G5]
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources