Robinia pseudoacacia 'Tortuosa'

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Robinia pseudoacacia 'Tortuosa'

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Kemper Code: C494

Common Name: black locust
Zone: 4 to 8
Plant Type: Tree
Family: Fabaceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: None
Height: 10 to 15 feet
Spread: 10 to 15 feet
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Color: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium

Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Where is this species invasive in the US?

Uses:		Wildlife:	Flowers:	Leaves:	Fruit:
Hedge	Suitable as annual	Attracts birds	Has showy flowers	Leaves colorful	Has showy fruit
Shade tree	Culinary herb	Attracts	Has fragrant flowers	Leaves fragrant	Fruit edible
Street tree	Vegetable	hummingbirds	Flowers not showy	Good fall color	Other:
Flowering tree	Water garden plant	Attracts	Good cut flower	Evergreen	Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1')	Will naturalize	butterflies	Good dried flower		Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Grow in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some light shade, but avoid shady locations. Tolerates a wide range of soils including sandy or nearly barren ones. Best performance is in moist, organically rich loams. Good drought tolerance. Fixes nitrogen. Avoid pruning in spring when it tends to bleed. May produce root suckers which should be promptly removed unless naturalization is desired.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

‘Tortuosa’ is a slow-growing, deciduous black locust that is noted for its compact size and twisted branching. It may grow over time to as much as 40’ tall and 25’ wide, but is more often seen in gardens growing only to 10-15’ tall. Pinnate green leaves are attractive during the growing season. No fall color. Plants may not produce the racemes of fragrant flowers in May and the resulting seed pods typical of the species, but, if they do flower, the racemes will be much smaller with fewer flowers. Small spines may appear on the branches. See Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Lace Lady’ TWISTY BABY (V180 herein) for another compact black locust with contorted branching.

Problems:

Generally easy to grow once established. It is susceptible to locust borer (often fatal) and locust leaf miner (browns foliage). Other insect problems include caterpillars, weevils, scale and whiteflies. Possible disease problems include canker, powdery mildew, leaf spots, wood rots and verticillium wilt.

Uses:

Compact tree is effective as a small accent for the landscape. Twisted branching can be attractive in winter.

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