Robinia

Robinia is a genus of deciduous trees and shrubs, family Fabaceae, native to North America, commonly known as locusts, with as few as four species recognized by some authors and up to 10 by others, along with several documented natural hybrids. Members reach 4 to 25 meters in height, bear pinnate leaves with 7 to 21 oval leaflets and white or pink flowers typically arranged in drooping racemes, and many species display thorny shoots along with sticky hairs on their stems in some cases. The genus was named after the French royal gardeners Jean Robin and his son Vespasien Robin, who introduced the plant to Europe in 1601; several species serve as food sources for the caterpillars of various Lepidoptera, and all species produce toxic lectins throughout the plant except in the flowers, which are consumed in teas, pancakes and fritters across Europe.