New Mexico Locust

The hairy seed pods of the locust tree dry out and split open to drop their seeds in the late summer.

NPS/ Kenneth Ingham

New Mexico Locust (Robinia neomexicana) is a welcome and colorful addition to a conifer forest. The rose-pink drooping clusters of pea-like flowers bloom from mid-May to August adding a burst of color to the forest understory. The New Mexico locust grows as a small shrub or tree with thorny stems. Sprouting from the root each summer, it expands into new territory.

Locust trees have prime examples of pinnately compound leaves. What one might think is a single leaf may turn out to be a series leaflets. The blade of the New Mexico Locust leaf grows along the mid vein and consists of several leaflets. So what is the difference between a leaf and a leaflet? A leaf grows from the axillary bud and leaflets do not have an axillary bud, making all leaflets part of the leaf itself.

The majority of the New Mexico Locust tree is readily edible. Honey and native bees are particularly attracted to locust tree nectar and pollen. The delicate flowers can be eaten raw. Browsing mule deer and cattle eat the green foliage and squirrels and quail eat the nutritious seeds found in the brown bean like pods.