I would never wish upon anyone a plague of locusts. Unless, that is, I’m wishing for you to come across a dense stand of bristly locust (Robinia hispida) shrubs in bloom along a trail or edge of the woods. Then, by all means, may this kind of pox be upon you.
At first glance, the stems of bristly locust look mean and dangerous, covered in what appear to be numerous spines and prickles. But they are actually soft, bristly hairs that give this plant both the common name of bristly locust and the epithet in the botanical name of “hispida.”