Robinia x ambigua 'Purple Robe' - Purple Robe Locust

Patented hybrid between Robinia ambigua 'Decaisneana' and R. hispida 'Monument.'


Pinnately compound leaves with ovate to oblong leaflets. Mostly thornless, but there are rounded thorn nubs at leaf nodes.
Purple flowers are mostly scentless, but a deep whiff with your nose buried in the blossoms can yield a faint rose scent.
Reddish brown to gray bark develops fissures and cracks. Wood is brittle and limbs tend to break on older trees.

Robinia pseudoacacia - Black Locust

Robinia pseudoacacia: Robinia, named for Jean Robin, gardener for Henri IV and Louis XIII. He received new plants from Canada; pseudoacacia, meaning "false acacia."

Tall, narrow, fast-growing tree with a round head.
Pinnately compound leaves 12" long with oval leaflets.
White pea-like flowers. Not all cultivars have a scent.
Flowers held in 4"-8" long racemes.
Prolific production of seed pods / legumes in summer and fall.
Twigs are reddish brown with 1/2" spines.
Grey to tan bark tends to furrow in diamond patterns. Wood is brittle.