I was captivated by a pink flowering tree this spring. The flower looks like a sweet pea, but my initially identification took be my surprise because the name is unattractive – the clammy locust (Robinia viscose). I was unfamiliar with the tree, but through observation, particularly of the leaves (pinnately compound, alternate), I figured it was in the legume family. (Like other legumes, the locust fixes nitrogen in the soil.) The City of Berkeley does not publish its tree list online, so I turned to my copy of "Tree, Shrubs and Vines: A Pictorial Guide to the Ornamental Woody Plants of the Northeastern United States Exclusive of Conifers." According to the guide's author, Arthur T. Viertel, associate professor of landscape architecture (!), the leaf stalk and twigs have "sticky glands," hence the name.
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BTW, I found your blog with a link from pruned.blogspot.com. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
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