It is often attacked by stem borers and other insects, causing deformed growth and dieback. It has a shallow, fibrous root system and spreads by underground rhizomes. Leaves are alternate and pinnately compound with 7 to 21 leaflets. Leaflets are thin, elliptical, dark green above, and pale beneath. Smaller branches are armed with heavy, paired thorns.
Flowers are pea-like, fragrant, white and yellow, and born in large drooping racemes.
Black locust stands are easy to identify in spring because they typically form multiple-stemmed clones and are slow to leaf out. They produce showy flower clusters in May or June. Black locust is a translocated deciduous tree that is frequently found in upland prairies, savannas, roadsides, old fields, and woodlots in Wisconsin. Black locust prefers humid climates with sandy, loamy, well-drained soils in open, sunny locations. The tree is native to the slopes and forest margins of Southern Appalachia and the Ozarks.