Robinia pseudoacacia
Black locust

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Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a fast-growing deciduous tree native to North America. It was introduced to Europe in the seventeenth century. It is now found naturally in most of the continent, from Italy to southern Norway, and is one of the most common non-native species in Europe (Puchałka et al., 2021). Black locust is hardy and extremely tolerant to different types of soil, except those that are compacted and exposed to waterlogging. It is a light-demanding, pioneer species, able to grow under harsh conditions. It typically grows in a variety of habitats, including woodlands, disturbed areas, and roadsides, preferring well-drained soils. The tree grows at altitudes from sea level up to 1 600 m, reaching heights of 12–30 m, and is characterized by its deeply furrowed bark and fragrant white flowers in late spring, which are a valuable source of nectar for bees.

Black locust is of high economic importance in both North America and Europe (Puchałka et al., 2021). The tree’s durable wood is resistant to fungi, decay, and insects, making it particularly good for fence posts, flooring, firewood, ship building, and outdoor furniture. Black locust can fix nitrogen, improving soil fertility for neighbouring plants and stabilizing eroded soils. With its high growth rate, the tree is suitable for biomass production, but also ideal for erosion control, reclamation projects, and ornamental planting. However, it can be invasive outside its native range, causing changes in soil chemistry and light regime, and displacing native vegetation (Puchałka et al., 2021).

in situ genetic conservation unit
ex situ genetic conservation unit
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Related resources
Access the genetic conservation units in the EUFGIS information system
Download modelling, data and information on Robinia pseudoacacia from the European Atlas of Forest Tree Species
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Acknowledgements

This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)

Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007

The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:

Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
 

Status of Robinia pseudoacacia conservation in Europe

Genetic summary

Genetic diversity and variation

European populations of black locust show some genetic bottlenecking, have higher clonality, and have reduced allelic richness than North American populations, suggesting reduced genetic diversity and increased inbreeding (Bouteiller, 2018; Bouteiller et al., 2021). However, the species still shows high genetic variation among and within populations in Europe, with most variation being within populations (Bouteiller et al., 2018; Ábri et al., 2023).

Genetic distribution and clustering

Genetic differentiation in European populations of black locust appears to be low, with no significant genetic differentiation detected between French and Belgian populations, which both show only weak genetic structuring (Bouteiller et al., 2021). However, across Europe, genetic differentiation is observed between populations (Bouteiller et al., 2021). Some research found that black locust populations in Europe do not show adaptation to local conditions (Bouteiller et al., 2018).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Further relevant genetic traits

Cultivation and human intervention

Black locust was introduced to Europe in the seventeenth century from only a limited number of populations located in the northern plateau of the Appalachians Mountains, and it is now recognized as one of the 100 worst invasive species in Europe (Bouteiller, et al., 2021; Ábri et al., 2023). The species has now been naturalized in every European country. It has been widely used since the early 1800s for its beneficial traits, including fast growth, nitrogen fixation, and excellent sprouting capacity (Ábri et al., 2023). In North America, genetic structuring in black locust is the result of evolutionary processes, while genetic structuring in Europe is the result of mass artificial selection and tree breeding since the eighteenth century (Bouteiller, 2018).

European black locust populations show higher rates of germination than native American populations under all environmental conditions, which is hypothesized to be because of selective breeding (Bouteiller et al., 2021). It is most likely that this selection occurred after its introduction to Europe (Bouteiller et al., 2021). Breeding programmes and genetic improvement programmes aimed at improving wood quality, increasing biomass production for energy purposes, and enhancing drought tolerance of black locust have been ongoing in many European countries for decades (Ábri et al., 2023). Other goals include increasing the tree’s viability for biofuel or honey production. Genetic improvement of black locust often includes selecting fast-growing individuals with optimal trunk shapes (Ábri et al., 2023).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic conservation

Threats

Young black locust trees in Europe show a strong plasticity to temperature, with warmer environments being more suitable for the species growth, and this could explain the large invasive range of the species in Europe (Bouteiller et al., 2018). It also means future climate change may favour black locust in Central and north-eastern Europe, where this species is still absent or rare, while southern European populations may experience a decline (Puchałka et al., 2021). However, this is only possible so long as water is available, as black locust requires moist soils to grow, so warmer temperatures could threaten the species in some parts of its range (Bouteiller et al., 2021).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic Characterisation of Robinia pseudoacacia and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

FOREMATIS

Contacts of experts

NA

Further reading

Huo, X., Han, H., Zhang, J., and Yang, M. 2009. Genetic diversity of Robinia pseudoacacia populations in China detected by AFLP markers. Frontiers of Agriculture in China, 3: 337–345.

References

Ábri, T., Cseke, K., Keserü, Z., Porcsin, A., Szabó, F.M., and Rédei, K. 2023. Breeding and improvement of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) with a special focus on Hungary: a review. iForest-Biogeosciences and Forestry, 16(5): 290–298.

Bouteiller, X. 2018. A European ecological and evolutive history of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.).  Doctoral dissertation. Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, Université de Bordeaux.

Bouteiller, X.P., Barraquand, F., Garnier-Géré, P., Harmand, N., Laizet, Y.H., Raimbault, A., Segura, R., Lassois, L., Monty, A., Verdu, C., and Mariette, S. 2018. No evidence for genetic differentiation in juvenile traits between Belgian and French populations of the invasive tree Robinia pseudoacacia. Plant Ecology and Evolution, 151(1): 5–17.

Bouteiller, X.P., Moret, F., Ségura, R., Klisz, M., Martinik, A., Monty, A., Pino, J., Van Loo, M., Wojda, T., Porté, A.J., and Mariette, S. 2021. The seeds of invasion: Enhanced germination in invasive European populations of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) compared to native American populations. Plant Biology, 23(6): 1006–1017.

Puchałka, R., Dyderski, M.K., Vítková, M., Sádlo, J., Klisz, M., Netsvetov, M., Prokopuk, Y., Matisons, R., Mionskowski, M., Wojda, T., and Koprowski, M. 2021. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) range contraction and expansion in Europe under changing climate. Global Change Biology, 27(8): 1587–1600.

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