Invasive plant species - black locust (𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢)

Part of a series showing invasive alien or exotic species (non-native and spreading) in Europe. Native to Appalachia, north America, 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 (Fabaceae) was introduced into Europe most likely in 1601 by royal gardener Jean Robin, who apparently obtained it as a seed from an unknown benefactor and planted the sapling outside the Saint-Julien le Pauvre church, in one corner of René Viviani Square, precisely here: www.google.com.... More than 400 years later, the “Square René-Viviani Robinia” still stands as the oldest tree in Paris.
A description of Robin’s false acacia arrived on the desk of Linnaeus, who named it for Robin and for the fact that it is not an acacia. Valued for its hard timber, copious nectar production (favouring bees and 'acacia' honey) and capacity to stop erosion, 𝘙. 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 has been actively introduced worldwide. When it is not cut, it forms an elegant specimen tree in parks and gardens. However, its profligate ability to produce basal shoots when cut, and root sprouts (suckers) combined with wind-borne seeds mean that it spreads rapidly and has taken over many warmer, sunny habitats where it excludes native trees. While flowering trees standing alone in urban parks can be extremely lovely, this film shows what the vast majority of plants actually look like for most of the year in agricultural settings - a twisted, spiny, scraggly flowerless mess encroaching everywhere. Whether you love or loath this species depends on where you find it and how much money you have to spend each year to keep it under control.
Some of the film here is of an environmental recovery project near Milan, Italy, where 𝘙. 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 is crowding out pedunculate oaks (𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘶𝘳) planted one year previously. Control of 𝘙. 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 is necessary in sensitive habitats but is difficult to achieve. Studies (e.g. Motta et al. 2009) have found that slower-growing native species can, with appropriate management, eventually over-top 𝘙. 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 and shade it out. However, rarely is appropriate management conducted, and conservation projects are usually not given funding for ongoing maintenance.
'Locust' trees include various legume species that produce large, flat, black and slightly curved fruit pods that (actually do) resemble the egg pods of locust insects (www.researchga.... 𝘙. 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 is the locust with black heartwood, hence 'black locust'.
Black locust was introduced to Italy in 1662, at Padova Botanic Garden. Some consider this a reintroduction, suggesting that black locust was present in Europe before the last glaciation. No source is cited to support this. What the fossil evidence shows (Berry 1918) is the presence of a plant with legume-like leaflets, assigned the catch-all name “Leguminosites”, originally coined as a name for fossils that are evidently Fabaceae but which cannot be identified more precisely beyond the family level (babel.hathitru.... In contrast, 𝘙. 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 is a modern north American species, and no unequivocal fossil evidence actually exists for the genus 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 in Europe before the last glaciation.
𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿-𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲:
Berry, E. W. (1918) Geologic history of the locust and its allies. The Plant World, 21(11): 284-298. www.jstor.org/s...
Guo, W.-Y., van Kleunen, M., Pierce, S., et al. (2019) Domestic gardens play a dominant role in selecting alien species with adaptive strategies that facilitate naturalization. Global Ecol. & Biogeogr., 28: 628-639. doi.org/10.111...
Guo, K., Pyšek, P., Chytrý, M., Divíšek, J., Lososová, Z., van Kleunen, M., Pierce, S., & Guo, W-Y (2022) Ruderals naturalize, competitors invade: Varying roles of plant adaptive strategies along the invasion continuum. Functional Ecology, 36: 2469-2479. doi.org/10.111...
Guo, K., Pyšek, P., van Kleunen, Kinlock, M., N.L., Lučanová, M., Leitch, I.J., Pierce, S., et al. (2024) Plant invasion and naturalization are influenced by genome size, ecology and economic use globally. Nature Communications, 15: 1330. doi.org/10.103...
Guo, K., Pyšek, P., Chytrý, M., Divíšek, J., Sychrová, M., Lososová, Z., van Kleunen, M., Pierce, S. & Guo W.-Y. (2024) Stage dependence of Elton’s biotic resistance hypothesis of biological invasions. Nature Plants. doi.org/10.103...
Motta, R., Nola, P. & Berretti, R. (2009) The rise and fall of the black locust (𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 L.) in the “Siro Negri” Forest Reserve (Lombardy, Italy): lessons learned and future uncertainties. Annals of Forest Science 66: 410. doi.org/10.105...