Golden False Acacia / Black Locust Tree - Robinia Frisia
Robinia pseudoacacia Frisia, or Golden False Acacia, is an extremely attractive, vigorous tree with bright, greenish yellow leaves which inject autumn colours into the landscape all through spring and summer. The long leaf fronds are pinnate, which means that they are composed of several pairs of leaflets on each stem, and have thorns - both attributes are similar to an acacia's branches. The white flowers that come out in spring are quite lovely, hanging down in mildy fragrant clusters called racemes, looking a little like the blossom of a pea plant and attracting hungry bees. Robinia Frisia is bold and makes a perfect match for anything with purple foliage, such as Copper Beech or Purple Hazel. One of the most common non-ornamental uses for this tree is to hold loose soil and sandy or rocky banks together, as it has fibrous, fast spreading roots that often surface and produce new trees from suckers. It is also widely used to support commercial honey bees. Its wood is remarkably resistant to rot and some European timber companies are promoting its use instead of tropical hardwoods. The name Black Locust tree comes from the ripe seed cases, which are hard, brown and resemble those of the Honey Locust tree, though the plants are unrelated. Golden False Acacia was bred in Holland just before the second world war and was brought to Britain shortly afterwards; the parent trees came from America in the early 1600s.
Robinia pseudoacacia Frisia: Planting, Pruning and Caring for Your Trees:
False Acacia will thrive on poor, dry soils thanks to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil and is a great choice for regeneration projects that are aiming to restore a piece of land over a long period of time, as it will gradually improve the soil's fertility for free. It should be planted in as much sun as possible, as too much shade will cause its leaves to lose their bright colours and revert to a dull green. They are not tolerant of salty winds but are otherwise fully hardy and don't mind exposed sites. Robinia Frisia has the ability sucker a lot and you will probably need to cut them back regularly, although trees that are planted in richer soil types tend to have less interest in producing suckers. Good drainage is essential. Adult trees will 25 meters, 85 feet, high.
Important Note: All members of the Black Locust Tree group are toxic to humans and animals - horses in particular are at risk. While it is unlikely to be fatal, any animal that eats the leaves should be given prompt vetinary attention.
If you are unclear about the way standard trees are sized, take a look at our Guide to Standard Tree Sizing or you can go back to our main standard trees page.
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