A Detailed Guide to the Cultivation Methods and Precautions for the Twisted Leaf Iron Plant
The twisted leaf iron plant is also known as the spiral iron plant, willow-pattern iron plant, Philippine iron tree, curly-leaf iron plant, and twisted-pattern iron plant. It can absorb indoor harmful volatile substances such as formaldehyde, has low requirements for water and fertilizer, and generally has no pests or diseases, so it is much loved by gardening enthusiasts. Today, the editor will briefly explain the cultivation methods and precautions for the twisted leaf iron plant.
The twisted leaf iron plant is also known as the spiral iron plant, willow-pattern iron plant, Philippine iron tree, curly-leaf iron plant, and twisted-pattern iron plant. It can absorb indoor harmful volatile substances such as formaldehyde, has low requirements for water and fertilizer, and generally has no pests or diseases, so it is much loved by gardening enthusiasts. Today, the editor will briefly explain the cultivation methods and precautions for the twisted leaf iron plant, hoping it can be of some help to everyone.
I. Cultivation Methods for the Twisted Leaf Iron Plant
1. Best Propagation Time
Spring is from February to May, and autumn is from September to October.
2. Best Growing Soil
Loose, breathable, well-draining imported peat of the Klasmann 5-40mm grade is preferred.
3. Growing Humidity Requirements
The twisted leaf iron plant prefers a high-temperature, high-humidity growing environment.
4. Best Growing Temperature
The best growing temperature is in the range of 20-30 degrees.
5. Best Growing Light
Best growing light environment: semi-shade environment.
II. Precautions for Cultivating the Twisted Leaf Iron Plant:
1. Applying Fertilizer
The twisted leaf iron plant does not have a great demand for fertilizer, so applying fertilizer about once every month is sufficient (Peters Professional 20-20-20 water-soluble fertilizer can be used).
2. Key Points for Watering
The twisted leaf iron plant does not have a great demand for water. Generally, watering is best done on a "dry-wet cycle" basis, or it can be watered about once every 5-7 days according to specific conditions.
3. Pruning Essentials
The twisted leaf iron plant generally does not require pruning.
4. Pot and Soil Replacement
If an old pot is used, it needs to be soaked in a 1000-fold dilution of potassium permanganate for more than half an hour, then rinsed clean with water, and after drying, it is ready for the pot and soil change.
5. Key Points for Propagation
Propagation method for the twisted leaf iron plant: mainly by cutting propagation;
Best time for cutting propagation of the twisted leaf iron plant: March to October;
Cutting method: When cutting, insert the cuttings with the buds facing upward, at a slight angle into the bed surface, with the insertion depth being one-half to two-thirds of the cutting.
6. Pest and Disease Control
The twisted leaf iron plant generally has no pests or diseases.
Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia Linn. Black Locust Illustrated Guide: How to Grow Black Locust / How to Propagate Black Locust
Black Locust ProfileBlack Locust Robinia pseudoacacia Linn.
Cultivation Methods and Precautions for Black Locust - Introduction to Black Locust
Black locust, also known as false acacia, is a deciduous tree in the Fabaceae family, genus Robinia. The bark is grayish-brown to dark brown, shallowly fissured to deeply longitudinally fissured, rarely smooth.
Black locust is native to North America and is now widely introduced and cultivated in Asia, Europe, and other places. The bark of black locust is thick, dark, and heavily fissured; there is a pair of 1~2mm long thorns at the base of the leaves; the flowers are white, fragrant, and borne in racemes; the fruit is a pod, with 4~10 seeds per pod. Black locust wood is hard, corrosion-resistant, burns slowly, and has a high calorific value. Black locust flowers are edible. The honey produced from black locust flowers is very sweet, and honey yield is also high. Cultivated varieties include red-flowered black locust, golden-leaf black locust, etc.
Morphological Characteristics of Black Locust
Black locust is a deciduous tree, 10~25 meters tall; bark grayish-brown to dark brown, shallowly fissured to deeply longitudinally fissured, rarely smooth. Branchlets grayish-brown, angular when young, slightly pubescent, later glabrous; with stipular spines, up to 2 cm long; winter buds small, pubescent. Pinnately compound leaves 10~25 (~40) cm long; rachis grooved above; leaflets 2~12 pairs, usually opposite, elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or ovate, 2~5 cm long, 1.5~2.2 cm wide, apex rounded, slightly retuse, with a small mucro, base rounded to broadly cuneate, entire, green above, grayish-green beneath, pubescent when young, becoming glabrous; petiolules 1~3 mm long; stipels bristle-like.
Racemes axillary, 10~20 cm long, pendulous, many-flowered, fragrant; bracts caducous; pedicels 7~8 mm long; calyx obliquely campanulate, 7~9 mm long, calyx teeth 5, triangular to ovate-triangular, densely pubescent; corolla white, all petals clawed, standard nearly orbicular, 16 mm long, about 19 mm wide, apex emarginate, base rounded, reflexed, with a yellow blotch inside, wings obliquely obovate, nearly as long as the standard, about 16 mm long, with a rounded auricle on one side at the base, keel falcate, triangular, as long as or slightly shorter than the wings, connate along the anterior margin, apex obtuse-acute; stamens diadelphous, the one opposite the standard free; ovary linear, about 1.2 cm long, glabrous, stipe 2~3 mm long, style subulate, about 8 mm long, curved upward, apex pubescent, stigma terminal.
Pods brown, or with reddish-brown markings, linear-oblong, 5~12 cm long, 1~1.3 (~1.7) cm wide, flat, apex curved upward, with a mucro, stipe short, with a narrow wing along the ventral suture; calyx persistent, with 2~15 seeds; seeds brown to dark brown, slightly lustrous, sometimes with markings, nearly reniform, 5~6 mm long, about 3 mm wide, hilum circular, offset to one end. Flowering period April~June, fruiting period August~September.
Ecological Habits of Black Locust
Black locust is a temperate tree species, growing well in areas with an annual average temperature of 8°C~14°C and annual rainfall of 500~900mm; especially in coastal areas with relatively high air humidity, it grows fast, and the trunk form is straight and full. It has poor wind resistance; black locust planted at wind gaps is prone to wind breakage, windthrow, leaning, or asymmetrical crown.
Black locust is very sensitive to moisture conditions. In places with excessively high groundwater levels and excessive moisture, it grows slowly, is prone to disease, and may suffer root rot, dieback of shoot tips, or even death. It has a certain drought resistance. It prefers deep, fertile, loose, moist loam, sandy loam, sandy soil, or clay loam, and can grow normally on neutral soil, acidic soil, and saline-alkaline soil with a salt content below 0.3%. It grows poorly or even dies on waterlogged, poorly aerated clay. It is heliophilous and does not tolerate shade. Its sprouting ability and root-suckering ability are both very strong.
Cultivation Techniques and Planting Methods for Black Locust
Site Selection, Land Preparation, and Fertilization
Black locust seedlings are afraid of cold, waterlogging, and alkali, so the nursery land should preferably be fertile sandy loam with relatively high terrain and convenient irrigation and drainage. The soil salt content should be below 0.2%, and the groundwater level should be greater than 1 meter. Use irrigated land, or deep, flat, cultivated land. Do not raise seedlings in waterlogged lowlands or barren mountain land.
Black locust is not suitable for continuous cropping and can be rotated with poplar, pine, etc., to prevent damping-off disease. Absolutely avoid raising seedlings on heavy clay soil. Land preparation requires intensive cultivation: prepare the land and apply fertilizer in autumn, harrow and level to conserve moisture in spring, and sow after irrigation in early May.
Field Management
In black locust seedling cultivation, mastering the characteristics of seedlings being drought-tolerant, light-loving, and intolerant of waterlogging is the key to ensuring seedling survival.
1. Irrigation
Do not irrigate from sowing until the seedlings emerge completely. After emergence, when soil moisture is moderate, loosen the soil and cultivate in time to raise soil temperature and favor germination. Irrigating too early, with excessive soil moisture and low soil temperature, makes it easy for seedlings to stall or develop yellow-leaf disease. On the basis of repeated loosening and cultivation, the first irrigation can be given in early June, and thereafter under normal conditions irrigate once every 20d. After irrigation in early July, pause for a period to promote increased lignification of the seedlings and enhance their overwintering ability, and give the final winter irrigation in late November.
2. Topdressing
After black locust seedlings are thinned to a stand, carry out the first topdressing together with the first irrigation, applying urea at 45~75kg/hm^2. At the end of June, together with irrigation, apply a compound fertilizer mainly of nitrogen and phosphorus 2 times, at 75~195kg/hm^2, and stop fertilizing in early August. It is best to plow in winter and harrow in early spring, applying 3000 jin to 5000 jin of decomposed base fertilizer per mu. Spring land preparation should be done early, with deep plowing (more than 25 cm), fine harrowing, and leveling. While preparing the land, mix 15 jin of black vitriol (ferrous sulfate) powder per mu with 1 jin of 5% phoxim, then blend in 40 times the amount of fine soil, and spread it into the ground for soil disinfection.
3. Loosening Soil and Weeding
The nursery land should be cultivated in time after irrigation or rain, often keeping it loose and weed-free.
4. Cold Protection and Overwintering
One- to two-year-old black locust seedlings are vulnerable to autumn frost and dry spring winds, causing the aboveground parts of the seedlings to dry up. Therefore, one-year-old seedlings should be dug out after autumn for autumn afforestation or overwintering heel-in, and provided for afforestation in the spring of the second year.
5. Transplanting to Cultivate Large Seedlings
To cultivate large seedlings needed for roads, courtyards, urban greening, etc., Yuanzhou District generally transplants from late April to early May. Transplanting density mainly depends on the seedling cultivation specifications and years; generally, for four-year-old transplanted seedlings, a row spacing of 50cm x 100cm is suitable. The longer the seedling cultivation period, the greater the transplanting row spacing. Black locust transplanting mostly uses hole planting. Before transplanting, the aboveground part should be cut off, and split or damaged roots should be trimmed off. The root length should be kept at 20~30cm, and the seedling roots should be dipped in slurry before planting, with the planting depth such that the top of the root collar is level with the ground surface. After transplanting, the seedlings should be promptly watered, topdressed, loosened, weeded, and protected against cold for overwintering, and especially for stumped seedlings, work such as removing the tip, removing buds, and pruning should be done well, selecting and retaining strong, upright branches as the trunk.
Cultivation Methods and Afforestation Techniques for Black Locust
Afforestation Time
Black locust can be planted in both spring and autumn. Afforestation methods vary by location. In areas with more wind in winter and spring and relatively dry and cold conditions, truncation afforestation can be used in autumn or early spring; in places with a warm, humid climate and little wind, planting with the trunk intact can be used in spring. Black locust sprouts late; in spring, the survival rate is high when afforestation is carried out as the buds are opening, and the best afforestation time is from after leaf fall in autumn to before the soil freezes.
Seedling Planting Afforestation
For hilly and mountainous afforestation land, the sunny slope, the middle and lower parts of semi-sunny slopes, and low valley belts are suitable. The most suitable afforestation sites are: river floodplains with loamy interlayers, silty sand and fine sand land with sandy loam to clay loam below 40-80cm from the surface, deep-soil limestone and shale mountain land, and gully slope land on the Loess Plateau. However, wind-gap land, saline-alkaline land with a salt content above 0.3%, low-lying waterlogged land with a groundwater level higher than 0.5m, excessively dry coarse sandy land, and heavy clay land are all unsuitable for planting black locust.
Afforestation density should be appropriate. For fast-growing and high-yield forests, 110-200 trees can be planted per mu; for general timber forests, 220~330 trees can be planted; for soil and water conservation forests and fuelwood forests, more than 330 trees can be planted. When black locust is mixed with poplar, white elm, tree of heaven, Chinese arborvitae, shrubby lespedeza, etc., the trees grow more and have fewer pests and diseases. Mixed planting in strips is preferable. In northern China, the maturity age is generally 20-30 years, and under good site conditions, 40 years.
Taking advantage of the strong root-suckering and branch-sprouting ability of black locust, mainly use robust one- to two-year-old seedlings (ground diameter >= 0.8cm, main root length >= 20cm, well-developed and intact fibrous roots) for truncated-stem and buried-root planting, that is, when lifting the seedlings, shorten the aboveground part to a seedling height of 15~20cm. When planting, first dip the seedling roots in mud slurry to retain moisture, then place them into the already dug planting holes, straighten the seedlings, spread the roots, fill the soil and firm it layer by layer. Spring planting does not require mounding soil, while autumn planting must mound soil for overwintering. Note that planting should not be too deep; generally, the planting depth should be 1~3cm higher than the seedling root collar, and cover with a small mound 15~20cm high to bury the seedling stem. The mounded soil should not be too deep and should be level with the seedling or leave the seedling stem exposed by 1~3cm; do not compact the mound, and do not dig away the mound in spring, so as to maintain soil moisture around the seedlings.
Young Forest Tending
In addition to normal weeding, soil loosening, and pest and disease control, young forest tending management mainly consists of removing sprouts and buds, pruning branches, and removing tips, etc., to cultivate a strong, straight trunk and promote the formation of the trunk and crown.
Propagation Methods for Black Locust
Black locust is commonly propagated by sowing.
Sowing
Sowing black locust too early makes it vulnerable to late frost damage, so sowing should be later rather than earlier, with the time around the "Grain Rain" solar term being most suitable. [5] Either furrow sowing in beds or field-style sowing can be used. Generally, field-style seedling cultivation is used: first level the nursery land, then open furrows and sow in rows, with a row spacing of 30~40cm and a furrow depth of 1.0~1.5cm. The furrow bottom should be level and the depth uniform. Evenly scatter the seeds into the furrow, then promptly cover with soil 1~2cm thick and press lightly. From sowing to emergence takes 6~8d, and the sowing rate is 60~90kg/hm^2.
Seed Treatment
When black locust pods change from green to reddish-brown, and the pod skin becomes hard and dry, they are mature. Seeds should be collected in good time, sun-dried, and the pod skins, shriveled seeds, and impurities removed to obtain pure seeds. The seed extraction rate of pods is 10~20%, the thousand-grain weight is about 20g, and the germination rate is 80~90%.
Black locust seed coats are thick and hard, so germination must be promoted before sowing. Pour the seeds into hot water at 60~80°C, stir thoroughly with a wooden stick, and after 5~10min add cold water until the water temperature drops to 30~40°C. Then remove the impurities and bad seeds floating on top. After soaking the good seeds for 24h, remove them, and when slightly dry, sift out the hard seeds that have not swelled using a fine-mesh iron sieve, then repeat the hot-water seed soaking. Put the seeds that have absorbed water and swollen into a shallow basket, cover with a wet gunny sack, place in a sunny, warm spot, and rinse with warm water 2 times a day. After 4~5d, when the seeds begin to sprout, they can be sown.
Disease and Pest Control of Black Locust
Black locust is harmed by many pests, including termites, leafhoppers, scale insects, black locust aphids, scarab beetles, longhorn beetles, black locust geometer moths, mulberry wrinkled-wing geometer moths, and small stink bugs.
The black locust seed chalcid is the main pest of the seeds, with a damage rate as high as over 80%. The pests and diseases of black locust seedlings include soil maggots, weevils, aphids, and damping-off disease. When pests are found, 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-fold dilution can be sprayed for control. For damping-off disease, at the early stage of onset, spray with 50% amobam at 300-fold to 400-fold dilution to sterilize and protect the seedlings.
Variety Classification of Black Locust - Common Varieties
1. Umbrella black locust (variety) var. umbraculifera DC. in Moller's Deutsch. Gartn.-Zeit. 18: 630 (h). 1903.
Different from the original variety in: branches dense and thornless, crown nearly spherical, rarely flowering and fruiting.
Cultivated in the Dalian and Qingdao areas.
2. Pyramid black locust (variety) var. pyramidalis (Pepin) Schneid. Ill. Handb. Laubh. 2: 83. 1907. -- R. pyramidalis Pepin in Rev. Hort. ser. 2, 4: 240. 1845.
Different from the original variety in: branches upright, thornless, crown cylindrical.
Seen in garden cultivation.
Variety Classification
Existing black locust varieties can be broadly grouped by use into the following categories:
1. Timber tree species;
2. Landscape greening tree species;
3. Forage forest tree species;
4. Honey-source forest tree species;
5. Energy forest or shelterbelt tree species;
6. Fertilizer tree species.
Of course, there is often overlap among the categories, and other different classification methods are also possible.
In recent years, domestic forestry science and technology personnel have also selected many new black locust varieties for landscape greening. They are:
1. Straight-trunk black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Bessouiana') with a straight, upright trunk and yellow-white flowers;
2. Golden-leaf black locust (R. pseudoacacia 'Frisia'), a medium-tall tree with golden-yellow leaves;
3. Curly-branch black locust (R. pseudoacacia 'Tortuosa'), with twisted-growing branches, also known as lumpy black locust;
4. Columnar black locust (R. pseudoacacia 'Pyramidalis'), with fine side branches, a cylindrical crown, and white flowers;
5. Globe-crown black locust (R. pseudoacacia 'Umbraculifera'), with a spherical crown, becoming umbrella-shaped when old;
6. Tortoise-shell bark black locust (R. pseudoacacia 'Stricta'), with bark peeling in a tortoise-shell pattern, yellow-brown;
7. "Red-flowered" black locust (R. decaisneana L.): corolla papilionaceous, purplish-red. Cultivated in Nanjing, Beijing, Dalian, and Shenyang.
8. Thornless black locust (R. pseudoacacia Var. inermis DC): crown open, tree form broom-like, branches stiff and without stipular spines. Cultivated in Qingdao, Beijing, and Dalian, propagated by cuttings, mostly used as street trees.
9. Small-leaf black locust (R. pseudoacacia Var. microphylla): leaflets 1~3cm long, 0.5~1.5cm wide. The compound leaves gradually become smaller from the top to the base, pods 2.5~4.5cm long, less than 1cm wide. Cultivated in Zaozhuang City, Shandong.
10. 'Arrow-shaft' black locust (R. 'upright' L.): trunk straight, branches fine and sparse. Planted in Jiaonan County, Qingdao City.
11. "Yellow-leaf" black locust (R. 'yellow' L.): selected in Guangrao County, Dongying City, Shandong, with leaves remaining yellow-green year-round. Propagated by division or grafting.
12. Globe black locust: crown spherical to oval, branches fine and dense, nearly thornless or with extremely small, soft thorns. Small tree. Does not flower or flowers very little.
13. Pink-flowered black locust: flowers slightly tinged with pink.
Distribution Area of Black Locust
Black locust is native to the United States, and is cultivated from 23° to 46° north latitude and 86° to 124° east longitude. It was introduced to Europe and Africa in the 17th century.
China introduced it from Europe to Qingdao for cultivation at the end of the 18th century, and it is now widely planted throughout China. In the Yellow River basin and Huai River basin, it is mostly planted in concentrated contiguous patches and grows vigorously. In the North China Plain, its vertical distribution is between 400~1200m. It is cultivated in Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, **, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and other provinces (regions).
Uses and Value of Black Locust
Black locust timber is hard and heavy, rot-resistant and wear-resistant, and is suitable for railway sleepers, vehicles, construction, mine props, and many other uses; it grows fast and has strong sprouting ability, making it a fast-growing fuelwood forest species; it is also an excellent honey-source plant. [1]
Black locust grows rapidly, and its wood is tough, fine-textured, elastic, water-resistant, and rot-resistant, making it an important fast-growing timber tree species. It can be used for construction, railway sleepers, vehicles, and farm tools; the leaves contain crude protein and can be used as feed; the flowers are an excellent honey-source plant, and the seeds are pressed for oil used as a raw material for soap and paint.
Industrial Value
In the food industry, locust bean gum is often compounded with other edible gums and used as a thickener, water-retention agent, binder, and gelling agent. Compounded with carrageenan, it can form elastic jelly, whereas carrageenan alone can only produce brittle jelly. Compounded with agar, it can significantly increase the rupture strength of the gel. Compounded with seaweed gum and potassium chloride, it is widely used as a composite gelling agent for canned foods. Compounded with carrageenan and CMC, it is a good ice cream stabilizer. It can also be used as a water-retention agent in dairy products and frozen dairy desserts to improve mouthfeel and prevent ice crystal formation.
Landscape Uses of Black Locust
Black locust has a shallow but well-developed root system, is prone to windthrow, and has strong adaptability, making it an excellent sand-fixation and soil-conservation tree species. In the North China Plain and the Huang-Huai River basin, there are relatively many contiguous plantations, while in other areas it is mostly planted as scattered greenery around the four sides and in isolated spots, commonly seen as street trees.
Black locust has a tall crown and bright green leaves. Whenever the flowering season comes, green and white set each other off, simple and elegant, and fragrant. It can be used as a street tree or shade tree. It is a pioneer tree species for greening industrial and mining areas and for greening barren hills and wastelands. It has relatively strong resistance to sulfur dioxide, chlorine gas, photochemical smog, etc., and also has a relatively strong ability to absorb lead vapor. The roots have root nodules, which also have the effect of improving soil fertility. After leaf fall in winter, the branches are sparse and upward, much like a silhouette, with a form that has the charm of Chinese painting.
Medicinal or Dietary Therapeutic Value of Black Locust
The medical information and health dietary therapy information on Huahua.com is for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. For any health problems, consult professional medical personnel, and for the treatment of any disease, follow the doctor's advice.
The ultimate flower-guarding mission: to love yourself, start from reality and follow your doctor's orders. When it comes to illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope; face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and tend the flower field within your heart with care.
Medicinal value
Functions and indications
Stop bleeding. Mainly indicated for bloody stool due to large intestine disorder, hemoptysis, hematemesis, and profuse uterine bleeding in women.
Toxicity
If black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) young sprouts and young leaves are mistakenly eaten as a vegetable, poisoning may occur due to factors such as individual allergy to black locust, improper cooking, excessive consumption, or exposure to sunlight after eating. 23 cases have been reported; poisoning mostly occurs between 2 and 20 days after eating, manifesting as swelling of the face and hands, local stabbing pain, burning pain or distending pain, itching, and general weakness. Rescue method: decoct 2 liang of table vinegar with 4 liang of dandelion and take it; temporarily avoid sunlight exposure, and symptoms can be relieved within 2 to 3 days.
Identification
Microscopic identification
Powder characteristics: pale yellow-green.
① On petal fragments, the anticlinal walls of the upper epidermal cells are wavy-curved, slightly curved, or straight; the cells of the claw are longitudinally elongated, and the outer cell walls show obvious cuticular striations; the lower epidermal cells resemble those of the upper epidermis.
② The upper epidermal cells of the calyx are polygonal; the cells at the base of the calyx are longitudinally elongated, and non-glandular hairs are sometimes visible; the lower epidermal cells resemble those of the upper epidermis, but non-glandular hairs are densely arranged, and stomata are also seen.
③ Non-glandular hairs can be seen everywhere; intact ones are 131-413 μm long, straight or slightly curved, mostly 2-celled, with a short, small basal cell and a long apical cell.
④ Parenchyma cells within the calyx can be observed; some cells contain yellow-brown or pale reddish-purple substances.
⑤ The inner and outer epidermal cells of the filaments are narrowly rectangular.
⑥ Fragments of the outer epidermis of the ovary are sometimes visible; the cells are narrow and small, 20-39 μm long and 9-15 μm wide.
⑦ Pollen grains are 30-35 μm in diameter, with smooth walls.
⑧ Vessels are fine and small, often spiral.
⑨ Calcium oxalate prisms may be observed, 4-10 μm long.
Physicochemical identification
Thin-layer chromatography: spot the sample's methanol solution on a silica gel G thin layer, develop with n-butanol-glacial acetic acid-water (4:1:1), then spray with a 1% ethanol solution of aluminum chloride (ALCL3), and observe the fluorescent spots under ultraviolet light; robinin has Rf=0.46; if the developing solvent is changed to (4:1:2), Rf=0.54; when isopropanol-water (7.6:2.4) is used as the developing solvent, Rf=20.70.
Chemical constituents
The flowers contain canavanine, tannins, flavonoids, and ricin.
The nectar contains 0.37% sugar and various amino acids including aspartic acid, glutamic acid, histidine, arginine, lysine, ornithine, leucine, phenylalanine, valine, tyrosine, proline, and threonine; their content is 0.002-4.786 mg% of the dry weight of the nectar.
The leaves contain acaciin (C28H32O13·4H2O), acacetin (C16H12O5), trisaccharide glycosides, robinin (C33H40O19), tannins, and so on.
The immature seeds and their outer hard coat contain canavanine. The seeds contain phytohemagglutinin. The fatty acid composition of the seed oil is: linoleic acid 53.18%, oleic acid 24.26%, linolenic acid 12.04%, palmitic acid 4.72%, arachidic acid 3.31%, stearic acid 2.35%, and trace amounts of docosanoic acid and tetracosanoic acid.
The bark is toxic and contains toxic proteins and toxic glycosides. The heartwood contains robinetin, dihydrorobinetin, β-dihydroxybenzoic acid, methyl β-dihydroxybenzoate, 4,2',4'-trihydroxychalcone, liquiritigenin, butein, butin, and 3,4,5,2',4'-pentahydroxychalcone.
Cultural background of black locust - Appreciation of a beautiful essay - The black locust tree
Seeing the black locust tree in the backyard again, the scars on the tree reminded me of an experience. Speaking of the trees in my hometown, there are not many kinds, but the one that left the deepest impression on me is the black locust tree. It can be said that the black locust is a particularly common tree in our village, almost seen everywhere.
I especially like the flowers the black locust tree blooms in spring; these flowers are so pure white and so fragrant. The leaves of the black locust are also very special: they are oval, with no pointed part at all. Moreover, the leaflets do not grow on the twigs themselves, but grow on both sides of the slender petioles extending from the twigs. Each petiole has about 7-10 leaflets on each side; if picked together with the petiole, they form clusters. If you pull off a leaf and put it in your mouth, you can even make it whistle, and the leaf does not taste bitter.
I remember that when we were children, we picked black locust flowers in spring, were not idle in summer and picked leaves to build shade shelters, and in autumn carved holes in the trunk of the black locust tree. Thinking about it now, we really were a bit too mischievous.
As for the shade shelter, of course it was not for people to live in, because the area was too small. After all, this shelter was only made of leaves. As for who could move in, it was naturally none other than my little toy figure. At the time I would also think this way: I built a shelter with leaves myself, yet I had no good fortune to enjoy it. The toy figure was the lucky one! In fact, that toy figure was the epitome of my childhood soul. Although I could only sit on the ground and look at the top of the leafy shelter, my heart had already moved in with the toy figure. Seeing the toy figure lying motionless under the shelter in a posture that would never change, my heart was fantasizing: if this green shelter before my eyes, as in fairy tales, became bigger, what would it be like? What would happen? But all of this could only ever turn into a dream.
Speaking of carving tree holes in autumn, perhaps carving tree holes is not an environmentally friendly thing to do. But for a mischievous child, he did not understand what environmental protection was. What he considered was his soul (the toy figure). In autumn the leaves turned yellow, and no shelter could be built. His so-called epitome of a "soul" had no place to stay; now winter was approaching, and he was afraid that the "epitome of his soul" (the toy figure) would freeze, so with his two little hands he respectively picked up an iron hammer and an iron chisel, and under the blowing of the autumn wind the chisel began working on the old trunk. Before long the bark was chiseled open, but the living tree was indestructible, and no matter how he chiseled, it was only very shallow, yet the mischievous child did not give up and frantically chiseled the trunk. At this time a white liquid flowed from the tree's wound, but the mischievous child had not the slightest pity that the tree also had to get through winter, nor did he know that the sap flowing down was the tree's nourishment for winter, and also the tree's blood! In spring the black locust offered its flowers, and in summer it offered its leaves too. Yet the mischievous child still did not stop the iron hammer and iron chisel in his hands for even a moment. Only when he was exhausted did he put down the weapons in his hands and lower his head. Because the mischievous child's physical strength was limited, the tree hole was not completed. He lowered his head not for the sake of this tree, but for his "soul" (the toy figure). The mischievous child looked at the toy figure with regret, perhaps blaming himself, because in the end he had failed to let his soul move into the tree hole.
Now seeing this tree again, the so-called mischievous child has also grown up. But the scar left on the tree is still there, only slightly higher than the original height.
The flower language of black locust
The flower language of black locust: friendship; another saying is hidden love.
Black locust pictures