Bristly Locust is native to SE USA but has spread to other areas of the country. It is in the pea (Fabaceae) family and has pendulous pink pea-like clusters of flowers in the spring that are quite showy. The leaves are compound and attractive with yellow fall color. This plant can spread aggressively by root suckers but can sometimes be found grafted onto the rootstalk of black locust which doesn't spread as aggressively. It will grow 2-10 feet tall with a 5 to 15-foot spread. Bristly Locust is covered in purplish bristly hairs on stems and branches and also has spines at the base of the leaf stems. It prefers sun to partial shade in soils rich in organic matter but is adaptable to most soil types including poor ones. It is drought tolerant and deer-resistant. Use as a hedge or to stabilize banks, Site: Sun; a range of soil types including dry and poor Form: Spreading; suckering
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Multi-stemmed; Rounded; Spreading
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Alternate, pinnate compound blue-green leaves; yellow fall color. They are ¾–1½' long and odd-pinnate with 7-15 leaflets that are 1-2" long and .5-1" across. Tips and bases are rounded. At the base of each stem are 2 sharp spines.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Pink
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Lipped
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Pink to bright rose pea-like flowers on 2 to 4 in. produced on pendulous raceme in mid-spring. Stems are covered with bristly hairs. Individual flowers are 1 inch across with 5 petals. The calyx is covered with purple-brown bristly hairs and it has 5 teeth. Blooms April- June
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Pink
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
1-3 inches long
Fruit detail
Bristly purple flat seed pod 2-3 inches long contains 3-5 seeds.
Bark color
Dark Brown
Bark detail
Thin smooth brown bark
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems are covered with purplish-brown bristly hairs
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Pennsylvania to South East U.S.A
Distribution
AL , AR , CO , CT , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Spring
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Slope/Bank
Landscape theme
Native Garden
Design feature
Hedge
Garden tags
#deciduous #NC native #problem for horses #problem for dogs #problem for cats #showy flowers #spines #pink flowers #pink fruits #hedge #NC Native Pollinator Plant #native tree #native shrub #prickles #weedy
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses; Weedy
Resistant to
Drought; Dry Soil; Erosion
Poison severity
Low
Poison symptoms
Vomiting, depression, anorexia, weakness, difficulty breathing, diarrhea (bloody), death
Toxic principle
Toxalbumins: phasin, robin and robitin (bark, leaves and seeds)