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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Robinia viscosa (Clammy locust)
Cressler, Alan

Robinia viscosa

Robinia viscosa Vent.

Clammy Locust

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: ROVI

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)

Small tree with a spreading crown of slender branches, or a shrub; often spiny, with showy pink flowers and sticky or clammy gland-hairs on twigs, leafstalks, flower stalks, and pods.

Discovered in 1776 by the early American botanist, William Bartram, in South Carolina. Easily recognized by the sticky or clammy secretion of the gland-hairs.

 

From the Image Gallery

4 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Fruit Type: Legume
Size Notes: Up to about 40 feet tall, often shorter.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Time: May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AL , CT , GA , IL , IN , KY , MA , ME , MI , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , VA , VT , WV
Native Distribution: West Virginia southwest to central Alabama; naturalized beyond in E. United States and SE. Canada; at 500-4000' (152-1219 m).
Native Habitat: Open forests, clearings, and waste places; forming thickets.

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees
Special Value to Honey Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Web Reference

Webref 34 - Go Botany (2019) Native Plant Trust
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Robinia viscosa in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Robinia viscosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Robinia viscosa

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-01-17
Research By: TWC Staff

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