The pinnately [compound] LEAVES are 5 to 8 inches long with 12 to 20 [leaflets] arranged on [opposite] sides of the leaf [rachis]. Each leaflet is an inch or so in length, [oblong], sometimes slightly toothed on the edge, dull green or yellow-green above and dark green on the lower surface.
The FLOWERS appear in small clusters of green flowers on purple [pedicels] in a raceme 3 to 4 inches long, and grow from the [axil] of the leaf [rachis] and twig. The flowers [bloom] well after the leaves are out. The [FRUIT] [pods] hang in graceful racemes. The pods are 1 inch wide and 1 to 2 inches long, thin walled, tough, papery, chestnut brown, and shiny. The SEEDS are flattened, nearly round, about ½ inch wide, and orange-brown.
The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, light reddish-brown, and surrounded by a wide band of clear yellow [sapwood].
BLACK LOCUST (Yellow Locust)
Robinia pseudoacacia L.
Black locust is not native to Texas, so far as known, but has been widely planted here and has escaped from cultivation. Black locust requires deep, well-drained, moist soil for good growth. It grows indifferently to poorly on well-drained, dry sites. Of late years it has been severely damaged by the locust borer and is no longer recommended for planting in pure stands.
BLACK LOCUST (Leaf and [fruit], one-third natural size; twig, two-thirds natural size)
The twigs and branchlets are armed with paired, straight or slightly curved, sharp, strong spines, sometimes as much as 1 inch in length, which remain attached to the outer [bark] for many years.
The LEAVES are [pinnate], or feather-like, from 6 to 10 inches long, with 7 to 19 [oblong], thin [leaflets].
The FLOWERS are fragrant, white or cream-colored, and appear in graceful pendant racemes.