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 Shelter break of Caragana arborescens
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| Caragana arborescens |
Caragana arborescens, or Caragana, or Siberian peashrub, is native to Siberia. It was taken to the United States by settlers emigrating from regions that naturally grow this shrub. The original settlers brought the caragana pods and shrubs as a food source while travelling west. Caragana can reach a height of 12 feet or more on the most favorable sites. Typically, it has a moderate to fast growth rate, being able to grow one to three feet during the first year after trimming.
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Common names
- Siberian Peashrub
- Common Caragana
Leaves, stems, and fruits
Caragana, a legume, has a pod-like fruit which contains many seeds. These ripen in July and if left, will fall off the shrub and the seeds will grow to become a new shrub very near the 'parent' shrub. The leaves of the caragana vary from light green to dark green and are alternate and compound with many small leaflets. Somewhat showy, small, fragrant, yellow flowers bloom in May or June.
Usage and economic importance
- Windbreaks - The caragana is recommended for planting in the outer rows of multi-row plantings. It can be used to neutralize soil to prepare for further planting. It is suitable for planting in single-row field windbreaks where a dense, short barrier is desired.
- Wildlife Habitat - The caragana is used for nesting by several songbirds. The seeds are occasionally eaten by a few songbirds. The plant is not a preferred food for browsing animals, but its fragrant flowers attract many pollen-consuming animals.
- Erosion Control - The caragans has an extensive root system that can be used to assist with erosion control.
- Ornamental - The caragana, with its small fragrant flowers and attractive compound leaflets, is used alongside lilacs to create a 'compare and contrast' appearance.
- Bee plants - The caragana has a fragrant flower that naturally will attract bees. The honey created has a pleasant taste, slightly 'fruity'.
- Cultivated food source - The caragana has a slightly bitter tasting 'pea', usually 3-4 to a pod, that are edible. They should be cooked before eaten. There have been no verified cases of poisoning from consuming the caragana pea. Additionally, the yellow flowers which have a taste like peas, can be used in salads to add colour and some flavour.
Adaptation and Soil
This plant is marginally adapted to the American mid-western summer temperatures and is a winter-hardy, drought-tolerant, long-lived, medium to tall shrub. It can grow well on a wide range of soils; however, it does not perform well on very droughty sandy soils or wet soils. During the summer months of extremely dry years this species may drop its leaves and not grow.
It is common practice to trim the shrub back to the root (appx. 6"-12" of the main trunk showing) when the shrub is desired to appear more like a 'bush' than a 'tree'. The shrub will adapt well to this trimming if adequate water and nitrogen-rich fertilizer is supplied, and will regrow appx. 4 feet per year until reaching the desired height.
Pests
There are no known serious disease problems. Grasshoppers can defoliate this species during some years but it recovers well from the attacks. There are no known burrowing animals that feed on this plant's root system
Geographic distributional range
- Native:
- ASIA-TEMPERATE
- Siberia: Russian Federation - Altay, Buryatia, Gorno-Altay, Irkutsk, Kemerovo, Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Tuva, Yakutia-Sakha
- Soviet Middle Asia: Kazakhstan [e.]; Kyrgyzstan
- Mongolia: Mongolia [n.]
- China: China - Gansu [e.], Hebei, Heilongjiang, Nei Monggol [n.e.], Shaanxi, Shanxi, Xinjiang [n.]
- ASIA-TEMPERATE
References
External links
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Caragana arborescens Lam.
- Kansas Forest Service: Caragana arborescens
