New Mexico Locust
Robinia neomexicana
Family: Fabaceae
OTHER NAMES
Spanish: uña de gato
CHARACTERISTICS
Deciduous, spiny tree (sometimes large shrub) 10-20’. Flowers in May-July with purplish to pinkish, sometimes almost white flowers, followed by legume seed pods. Though the plant often grows to tree heights, the limbs are often very small—not always the sort of tree you can climb.
LANDSCAPE USE
Small landscape tree.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full to bright shade, best in afternoon shade in the summer for low desert locations
WATER moderate
SOIL prefers sandy or rocky soil, amendments encouraged
HARDINESS hardy to about -25°F
BASIN middle zone
CONTAINER does ok in container but will not attain full size
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little
ECOLOGY
This is a great wildlife tree: flowers buzzing with all sorts of nectar loving insects and birds. Larval host plant for the Golden Banded-Skipper (Telegonus cellus), the Arizona Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus ssp. huachuca), and the Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis).
ETHNOBOTANY
The cooked pods were used as an emetic (induce vomiting)—the pods of this plant are generally considered to be poisonous. The flowers are eaten raw, branches make good bows and arrows, and the wood is used in cradleboard construction.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Found in both canyons and open woods on a variety of soils from 4,000-8,500’ throughout the southwestern United States and south into the Sierra Madre of northern Mexico.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
There are 10 species of Robinia in North America.
Robinia named for Jean (1550-1629) and Vespasian (1579-1662) Robin of Paris, gardeners to Henri IV and Louis XIII, while neomexicana means of or from New Mexico.
Details of the foliage and the hooked spines. Photo by once-ler, iNaturalist
This species is often found growing under the canopies of much taller trees. Photo by Damon Tighe, iNaturalist
The pea-shaped flowers vary from white to pink to purple. Photo by Eric Hough, iNaturalist
Flower detail, photo by Wendy McCrady, iNaturalist
The seed pods are covered in glandular hairs. Photo by ptosistheseus, iNaturalist