Acacia or Locust

Hi -- Is there an easy way for a beginner gardener to identify an acacia seedling? I've read that both Black locust and Honey locust have thorns or spines and bipinnately compound leaves. Since Acacia dealbata seems to have both of these features how can you tell which is which if you have an immatute 1 foot plant? TIA

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told2b
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Wait until it's big enough to cut a twig with at least two leaves and some thorns. Take the twig to a local college and ask someone in the botony or horticulture department. That's what I did to identify a Zelkova serrata tree.

Reply to
David Ross

my neighbor has a pink Acacia that has produced an impressive running grove of small shrubby like trees along our shared driveway. This year, she has pointed out that there is a seedling ACROSS the driveway from the line of trees that are "walking" eastwards along the side of the gravel and ridge of our driveway. The seedling in question she wants me to dig up is two foot tall, the upright, suckering shrub has bristly shoots and pinnate, dark green leaves (12 inches) long, composed of 9-13 ovate to broadly elliptic leaflets.

The proper name so you can look it up is Robinia (Fabaceae) hispida. the common names are rose acacia, bristly locust. It will get between six foot to ten foot tlal, hardy from zones 5-8, originates from the southeastern part of the US, likes sun or light shade (Miz Mary's all face Southwards with western exposure, well actually hers get ALL exposures). It likes well drained soil (LOVES the shoulder of the gravel driveway, but is doing just fine with the clay soil as it suckers along the drive). And it's growth rate is rather fast.

Acacia dealbata is an open, evergreen tree with fern-like 2-pinnate, hairy leaves, 5 inches long. Each with 40-80 linear, glaucous to silvery leaflets. Terminal racemes, 4-8 inches long, of spherical, fragrant yellow flowerheads, 1/4 inch across and are borne from winter to spring, from New South Wales to Tasmania, zones 9-10.

now which is it? Pink rose acacia, or the silver mimosa tree?

hope these descriptions help. (by the way, if I want to lift the seedling shoot of the Robinia hispida or pink bristly locust, I have to sever the roots and leave the sapling for a bit while it callouses and grows from it's mother shoot. Once I do that, it will lift. I've tried to dig up about five of these saplings that pop up down from the original clump and they don't transplant. Just only recently discovered you have to do this first.

The common Robinia pseudo-acacia (black locust) has blue-green foliage and more handsome. The prominent bristles on the branches and leaf petioles account for the common name bristly locust, and spines on the bark and stems, twigs and branches of the honey locust. Once established, the honey locust also has another name......iron wood tree. (a most loved home of the very proliferous flying squirrel that we have here, I have some in a hollow trunk of an old honey locust tree on the east side of my house near the first drop off terrace into my woods)

The pink acacia fixes nitrogen since it's actually a kissing cousin of the pea family. I adore the wisteria like clusters of flowers in the late spring. And this year with the cooler spells we had, Miz Mary's shrubby trees bloomed again a bit lesser, but had some pink flowers nevertheless.

I do hope this helps. madgardener up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee..zone 7, Sunset zone 36 where I'll try one more time to lift some of Miz Mary's pink hairy locust saplings.

Reply to
madgardener

] The proper name so you can look it up is Robinia (Fabaceae) hispida. the ] common names are rose acacia, bristly locust. It will get between six foot ] to ten foot tlal, hardy from zones 5-8, originates from the

These are gorgeous. Here they are all grafted either on either rootstock or whip of what we call common acacia, Robinia pseudo- acacia I suppose. We had one on haute-tige that got quite big, and then the entire grafted crown blew off the tree. Very disappointing as it would flower twice and everything. It stood as a stick for 1 year and then positively exploded with growth, an has now reformed a large crown. I'd love to try again, but perhaps I should be looking for a non-grafted specimen?

-E

Reply to
Emery Davis

yep. Forest Farms has it in their fall book. 5418467269. decent prices too, ship all over the US. Oregon area, good stock. cheaper than Heronswood, who doesn't even carry them. I love my neighbor's. Can't wait to try and dig up that little whip across the driveway. I suspect she has no idea that the roots have slipped under the gravel to pop up in her island bed! But since it's more tender (I doubt that it sprang from seed, but it's possible, I've never seen seed despite the massive pollination that goes on when it's in full bloom. I get great pictures, too) soil, maybe severing the root won't be as hard. And I have a new tool for the job. madgardener maddie

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madgardener

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told2b

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