Plant Guide

Caragana arborescens Lam.
Siberian peashrub
CAAR18

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Tree, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Introduced to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring, Summer, Fall
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	Medium
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	Yes
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Moderate
Foliage Texture	Medium
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	Yes
Growth Form	Multiple Stem
Growth Rate	Rapid
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	12
Height, Mature (feet)	12
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation	Medium
Resprout Ability	Yes
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	Low
CaCO3 Tolerance	High
Cold Stratification Required	Yes
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Low
Fire Tolerance
Frost Free Days, Minimum	150
Hedge Tolerance	Medium
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	5
pH, Maximum	8.5
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	1212
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	2728
Precipitation, Minimum	12
Precipitation, Maximum	55
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	16
Salinity Tolerance	Medium
Shade Tolerance	Intermediate
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-38

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Late Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	High
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Spring
Fruit/Seed Period End	Summer
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	19000
Seed Spread Rate	None
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Caragana arborescens Lam.
Siberian peashrub
CAAR18
Cultivar: Pendula

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Tree, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Introduced to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	Medium
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Conspicuous	Yes
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Moderate
Foliage Texture	Medium
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Multiple Stem
Growth Rate	Rapid
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	14
Height, Mature (feet)	14
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation	Medium
Resprout Ability	Yes
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None

Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	Low
CaCO3 Tolerance	High
Cold Stratification Required	Yes
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	Low
Frost Free Days, Minimum	160
Hedge Tolerance	Medium
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	6
pH, Maximum	9
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	700
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	1700
Precipitation, Minimum	10
Precipitation, Maximum	35
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	16
Salinity Tolerance	Medium
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-38

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Late Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	High
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Spring
Fruit/Seed Period End	Summer
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	No
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	19000
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None

Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	Yes
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Kingdom Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons

Subclass Rosidae

Order Fabales

Family Fabaceae -- Pea family

Genus Caragana Fabr. -- peashrub P

Species Caragana arborescens Lam. -- Siberian peashrub P

Alternative Names

Ross caragana, Siberian pea tree, pea-tree

Uses

Medicinal: The plant is used for cancer of the breast, the orifice to the womb, and other gynecological problems (Kiangsu 1977).

Wildlife: During World War II, the Siberian peasants reportedly carried their chicken flocks through the winter by feeding them Caragana arborscens seeds (Snell 1983). The seeds serve as valuable food for wild life. It also provides cover for upland game.

Agroforestry: Caragana arborscens has been recommended as a nitrogen-fixing windbreaker and groundcover plant that binds the soil and produce fiber and dye. It is often used as a single row field shelterbelt for borders, screen plantings, or flowering hedges.

Other uses: Some ethnic groups have used young pods for vegetables. The bark provides a fiber and the leaves yield an azure dye. The wood is used for woodturning.

Status

Introduced into the U.S. Please consult the Plants Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

General: Pea Family (Fabaceae). Siberian peashrub is an introduced, deciduous shrub or small tree ranging between ten to fifteen feet tall. The leaves are alternate, three to five inches long, with each leaf composed of eight to twelve oval leaflets. The flowers are yellow and appear early in the season forming pods in late June or early July. As the pods ripen, they crack and burst, spreading the seeds. The young bark is smooth and olive green and becomes less vivid in color as the bark ages.

Distribution: Siberian peashrub is native to Siberia and Manchuria. In the United States, its growth is

stunted south of Nebraska. For current distribution, please consult the Plant profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Adaptation

Siberian peashrub succeeds in most well drained soils. It prefers full sun but can tolerate some shade. This species is very tolerant of infertile soils, cold winter temperatures, and drought conditions. It tolerates alkaline soils and deicing salt. This plant’s chief value is its ability to adapt to poor sites. It also requires little maintenance.

Establishment

Propagation by Seed: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seeds should be pre-soaked twenty-four hours in warm water and then sown in a cold frame. If the seeds do not swell, then stratify them and re-soak for another twelve hours before sowing. Germination should occur in two to three weeks at 20ºC. Certain pesticides can increase germination possibly by inhibiting disease.

Propagation by cuttings: Layering should be done in the spring. Cuttings should consist of half ripe wood, three to four inches with a heel, and should be done between July and August. Grafting the cultivars, especially ‘Pendula’, ‘Lorbergii’, and ‘Walker’, are top worked at four to six inches height on Caragana arborscens seedlings (Dirr & Heuser 1987). Root cuttings, layering or grafting can also propagate Caragana arborscens.

Management

General: Siberian peashrub is susceptible to leaf spot diseases, red spider mites, blister beetles, grasshoppers, and aphids, which leads to poor foliage quality in mid to late summer.

Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

‘Sutherland’, Lorbergii’, ‘Pendula’, ‘Walker’, and ‘Nana’ are cultivars of Siberian peashrub. ‘Sutherland’ has a narrow, upright form. ‘Lorbergii’ has a graceful form with fine textured leaves. ‘Pendula’ has a stiffly weeping form with arching branches. ‘Walker’ is much like ‘Lorbergii’ in leaf character but strongly weeping (Dirr 1990). ‘Nana’ has a dwarf form with somewhat contorted branches.

Consult your local nurseries to choose the right cultivar for your specific landscape. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

References

Agriculture Handbook. 450. 1974. Seeds of woody plants in the U.S. Forest Service, USDA. Washington DC.

Bruggen, T.V. 1976. The vascular plants of South Dakota. The Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa.

Bush-Brown, J. 1963. Shrubs and trees for the home landscape. Chilton Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains. University Press of Kansas, Lawerence, Kansas.

Dirr, M.A. 1990. Manual of woody landscape plants: their identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation, and uses. 4^th ed. Stipes Publishing Company, Champaign, Illinois.

Dirr, M.A. & C.W. Heuser, Jr. 1987. The reference manual of woody plant propagation: from seed to tissue culture. Varsity Press, Athens, Georgia.

Kiangsu-Institude of Modern Medicine. 1977. Encyclopedia of Chinese drugs. 2 vols. Shanghai, China.

Preston, R.J. Jr. 1948. North American trees. 2^nd ed. The Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa.

Rosendahl, C.O. 1955. Trees and shrubs of the upper Midwest. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Rehder, A. 1940. Manual of cultivated trees and shrubs: hardy in North America. 2^nd ed. The Macmillan Company, New York, New York.

Snell, T. 1983. Caragana: The pea shrubs. In: The International Permaculture Seed Yearbook. Orange, Massachusetts.

Taylor, N. 1965. The guide to garden shrubs and trees. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston Massachusetts.

USDA, NRCS 2000. Conservation trees and shrubs for Montana. Custer County Soil Conservation District. Accessed: 11jan02.

<https://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/pas/forestry/caragana.html>

Prepared By

Jammie Favorite

Formerly USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Species Coordinator

Lincoln M. Moore

USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited: 10jan02 jsp; 14feb03 ahv; 31may06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

Attribution: U.S. Department of Agriculture