robinia
{{Short description|Genus of (flowering) plants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Robina9146.JPG
| image_caption = Robinia pseudoacacia
| taxon = Robinia
| authority = L. (1753)
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 4; see text
| synonyms =
- Pseudacacia {{small|Moench (1794), nom. superfl.}}
- Pseudo-acacia {{small|Duhamel (1755), nom. superfl.}}
| synonyms_ref = [https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30003889-2 Robinia L.] Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
}}
Robinia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, tribe Robinieae, native to North America. Commonly known as locusts,{{PLANTS|id=ROBIN|taxon=Robinia|access-date=22 October 2015}} they are deciduous trees and shrubs growing {{convert|4|-|25|m}} tall. The leaves are pinnate with 7–21 oval leaflets. The flowers are white or pink, in usually pendulous racemes. Many species have thorny shoots, and several have sticky hairs on the shoots.
The genus is named after the royal French gardeners Jean Robin and his son Vespasien Robin, who introduced the plant to Europe in 1601.
The number of species is disputed between different authorities, with as few as four recognised by some authors,{{cite web | url=http://www.ildis.org/ | title=Robinia | work=LegumeWeb | publisher=International Legume Database & Information Service }} while others recognise up to 10 species. Several natural hybrids are also known.
Some species of Robinia are used as food by caterpillars of Lepidoptera, including such moths as the brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), the buff-tip (Phalera bucephala), the engrailed (Ectropis crepuscularia), the giant leopard moth (Hypercompe scribonia), the locust underwing (Euparthenos nubilis), and Gracillariidae leaf miners like Chrysaster ostensackenella, Macrosaccus robiniella and Parectopa robiniella.
Toxicity
All species produce toxic lectins, throughout the entire plant, with the exception of the flowers.[http://www.ivydenegardens.co.uk/Plants/poisonousplantsl.html Poisonous Plants List.] Ivydene Horticultural Services.Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants. 2. Auflage. Springer, 2006. {{ISBN|0-387-31268-4}}, S. 33.
The flowers are used in teas and in pancakes,{{cite web|url=http://www.traditionalandwild.eu/en/component/jevents/icalrepeat.detail/2012/02/06/45/9/acacia-flowersa-potent-cough-mixture|title=Acacia flowers—a potent cough mixture|publisher=European Union Development Fund|access-date=2014-05-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20141122203343/http://www.traditionalandwild.eu/en/component/jevents/icalrepeat.detail/2012/02/06/45/9/acacia-flowersa-potent-cough-mixture|archive-date=2014-11-22}} and are consumed as fritters in many parts of Europe.{{cite web|url=http://mimithorisson.com/2013/05/29/acacia-flower-fritters/|title=Acacia flower fritters|date=29 May 2013|publisher=Morrison, Médoc, France|access-date=13 May 2014|archive-date=9 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609005630/http://mimithorisson.com/2013/05/29/acacia-flower-fritters/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.apronandsneakers.com/2011/04/frittelle-di-fiori-dacacia-black-locust.html |title=Frittelle di Fiori d'Acacia (Black Locust Flower Pancakes) |date=22 April 2011 |publisher=Cooking and traveling in Italy }}{{cite web |url=http://tattyapron.blogspot.se/2013/06/acacia-flowers.html |title=ACACIA FLOWER FRITTERS |date=3 June 2013 |publisher=Tatty Apron }}{{cite web |url=http://unazebrapois.blogspot.it/2012/05/e-riaperta-la-stagione-della-cacia.html |title=Riaperta la stagione della cacia |year=2012 |publisher=Unazebrapois}}
Species
- Robinia hispida {{small|L.}}– bristly locust
- Robinia hispida var. rosea (syn. R. boyntonii)
- Robinia hispida var. nana (syns. R. elliottii & R. nana)
- Robinia hispida var. kelseyi (syn. R. kelseyi)
- Robinia neomexicana {{small|A.Gray}} (syn. R. luxurians) – New Mexican locust
- Robinia pseudoacacia {{small|L.}} – black locust, false acacia
- Robinia viscosa {{small|Michx. ex Vent.}} – clammy locust
- Robinia viscosa var. hartwegii[https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=530087 R. viscosa var. hartwegii.] ITIS. (syn. R. hartwegii or R. hartwigii[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/49726#page/505/mode/1up E. Koehne. 1913. Eine neue Robinie]{{GRIN | Robinia viscosa var. hartwigii | 312164 | access-date = 17 December 2017}})
- †Robinia zirkelii{{cite journal | vauthors=Lavin M, Wojciechowski MF, Gasson P, Hughes C, Wheeler E | title=Phylogeny of Robinioid Legumes (Fabaceae) Revisited: Coursetia and Gliricidia Recircumscribed, and a Biogeographical Appraisal of the Caribbean Endemics. | journal=Systematic Botany | year=2003 | volume=28 | issue=2 | pages=387–409 | url=http://www.public.asu.edu/~mfwojci/pdfs/LavinetalSYSBOT2003.pdf | doi=10.1043/0363-6445-28.2.387 | doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 | access-date=22 November 2013 | archive-date=16 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616021448/https://www.public.asu.edu/~mfwojci/pdfs/LavinetalSYSBOT2003.pdf | url-status=dead }}
= Hybrids =
- Robinia × ambigua (R. pseudoacacia × R. viscosa) – Idaho locust
- Robinia × holdtii (R. neomexicana × R. pseudoacacia)
- Robinia × longiloba (R. hispida × R. viscosa)
- Robinia × margarettiae (R. hispida × R. pseudoacacia)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Wikispecies-inline}}
- {{Commons category-inline}}
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