Robinia? Aralia? In any case you have to keep cutting them off until they give up, or dig the whole root system out. If you cut them off often enough the energy reserves that are fueling their growth should eventually get used up. Without new leaves left in place to manufacture food the roots will have to become starved at some point.

Indeed I have, if you mean Casimiroa edulis. ASU doesn't have a botany department, and their plant sciences have been steadily going downhill. They still have some great professors in plant bio but I've heard that a lot of good ones retire or leave and aren't being replaced. Pretty much the same is happening with the arboretum; a lot of plants listed online have died and not been replaced. In one case I found a healthy Bauhinia lunarioides which was recently removed for mysterious reasons. I noticed sadly that I was the only Plant Biology major listed in the commencement program.

Sometimes, just because you "can" doesn't necessarily mean you should. ;-) How large is the tree you need to cut down, pbrown? What structures, fences and other landscape material etc. are close enough to be damaged? Do you have any experience cutting down trees? Seriously, the thorns wouldn't be what I was most worried about.

If you could KEEP it in your garden, it would be fine to keep it... but the reason it's all along the roads throughout Connecticut (smelling lovely, I agree!) is that it is a horrific invasive that is driving all the native flora out. Russian olive and Autumn Olive are slightly different (my guess is you're seeing autumn olive), but both are invasive and should be removed. In Connecticut, for instance, the law states ' Notwithstanding the provisions of any ordinance adopted by a municipality, no person shall [import,] move, except for eradication purposes, import, sell, purchase, transplant, cultivate or distribute any of the following invasive plants: '... and both are on the list that follows. There are many native plants with lovely fragrances that you can substitute for it, including a native honeysuckle. Check with your extension service for recommendations... but please, for the sake of the native flora, TAKE IT OUT! Here is a link that might be useful: Alternatives for invasives