|
Black locust, sometimes called yellow locust,
grows naturally on a wide range of sites but does
best on rich moist limestone soils. It has escaped
cultivation and become naturalized throughout
eastern North America and parts of the West. Black
locust is not a commercial timber species but is
useful for many other purposes. Because it is a
nitrogen fixer and has rapid juvenile growth, it is
widely planted as an ornamental, for shelterbelts,
and for land reclamation. It is suitable for
fuelwood and pulp and provides cover for wildlife,
browse for deer, and cavities for birds.
Black locust has a disjunct original range, the
extent of which is not accurately known. The eastern
section is centered in the Appalachian Mountains and
ranges from central Pennsylvania and southern Ohio,
south to northeastern Alabama, northern Georgia, and
northwestern South Carolina. The western section
includes the Ozark Plateau of southern Missouri,
northern Arkansas, and northeastern Oklahoma, and
the Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas and
southeastern Oklahoma. Outlying populations appear
in southern Indiana and Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama,
and Georgia. Black locust has been planted widely
and has become naturalized throughout the United
States, southern Canada, and parts of Europe and
Asia.
'Twisty Baby' is a horticultural selection,
propagated by grafting, with contorted branches and
leaves. What makes the tree especially appealling is
the tightly growing leaf clusters that hang down,
very much like wisteria blooms. Because black
locusts produce new terminal growth all summer long,
until leaf fall in autumn, the growing tips are
always a fresh apple green color; the leaflets curl
up, showing a greyish underside, and the mature
leaves a deep, bluish green. The lovely multi-tone
effect thus created lasts the entire summer. In
winter, the twisted branches have great character as
well.
The leading branches of this fast grower (45 cm per
year, though some of the growth is downward) can be
trained easily by the artistic gardener to a shape
that will emphasize their contorted nature,
especially when grown as a multi-stemmed specimen.
It can reach a height exceeding 3 m, spreading
almost as much. Black locusts bloom on mature trees,
but 'Twisty Baby' does not bloom reliably. When it
does, it produces hanging clusters of white,
pea-like blooms with a sweet fragrance; understated,
yet spectacular. |
