Under the ground, Robinia has an extensive root network, keeping itself and its offsprings connected and steady by the riverside.
It can grow and reproduce fast just by shooting sprouts from its trunk and roots. New plants can pop up along the big root network before its seeds mature. This is why, if a Robinia is here, it’s very difficult to remove.
However, Robinia needs abundant sunshine to grow. This is why, in forests where other trees, like maples, ash trees, beeches, and spruce, are tall enough to block sunlight, Robinia will auto-disappear after decades.
Talvera is the vice versa. Its riversides have been disturbed by humans for centuries. Because of its recurrent floods, people have been building protections and remaking its waterscapes since the end of the Middle Ages.
Photo by Zintosch7, 1917
Photo by Bartleby08, 2024
Photo by Zintosch7, 1917
Nowadays, the provincial Civil Protection office clears dense vegetation along the riverbank to avoid slowing down or blocking the water flow. This accidentally creates a space and sunlight-abundant environment for Robinia.
Moreover, in Central Europe, Robinia had been deliberately planted along riverbanks to prevent erosion and stabilise new embankments. Therefore, the river engineering programme could have facilitated Robinia to pioneer and prosper.