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Black Locust

Robinia pseudoacacia

Found in forests, woodlands, disturbed areas, roadcuts. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

70
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
50 feet
Spread
20–35 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 27.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
July to November

Recorded in 101 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 141 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

62CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Robinia

  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-spotted Skipper
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Agonopterix robiniellaFour-Dotted Agonopterix Moth, Locust Leaffolder
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Aroga trialbamaculellaRed-Striped Fireworm Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
Show all 62
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Caloptilia stigmatellaPoplar Caloptilia
  • Catocala habilisHabilis Underwing
  • 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
  • Filatima pseudacaciellaDusky-Backed Filatima
  • 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
  • Lophocampa caryaeHickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
  • Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
  • 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
  • Psilocorsis cryptolechiellaBlack-Fringed Leaftier
  • Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
  • Sciota subcaesiellaLocust Leafroller
  • Sciota virgatellaBlack-Spotted Leafroller
  • 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
  • Chrysopeleia purpuriella
  • 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 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
November

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “April to June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “White” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 3a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “50 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “20–35 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Robinia pseudo acacia; Robinia pseudo-acacia

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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