Siberian Peashrub

Scientific Name: Caragana arborescens Lam.


Classification: Plantae/ Tracheobionta / Spermatophyta / Magnoliophyta / Magnoliopsida / Rosidae / Fabales / Fabaceae / Leguminosae / Caragana Fabr./ Caragana arborescens Lam.

Siberian Peashrub
General Information
Usda SymbolCAAR18
GroupDicot
Life CyclePerennial
Growth HabitsShrubTree,
Native LocationsCAAR18

Plant Guide

Alternative Names

Ross caragana, Siberian pea tree, pea-tree , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Siberian Peashrub.

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. Conservation Trees & Shrubs for Montana USDA, NRCS, Montana State Office

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. 4th 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. 2nd 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. 2nd 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. <http://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/pas/forestry/caragana. html>

Plant Traits

Growth Requirements

Cold Stratification RequiredYes
Hedge ToleranceMedium
Hedge ToleranceMedium
Frost Free Days, Minimum160
Frost Free Days, Minimum150
Fire ToleranceLow
Fertility RequirementMedium
Fertility RequirementLow
Drought ToleranceHigh
Drought ToleranceHigh
Cold Stratification RequiredYes
Temperature, Minimum (°F)-38
CaCO3 ToleranceHigh
CaCO3 ToleranceHigh
Anaerobic ToleranceLow
Anaerobic ToleranceLow
Adapted to Medium Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Medium Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Fine Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Fine Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Coarse Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Coarse Textured SoilsNo
Moisture UseMedium
Temperature, Minimum (°F)-38
Shade ToleranceIntolerant
Shade ToleranceIntermediate
Salinity ToleranceMedium
Salinity ToleranceMedium
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)16
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)16
Precipitation, Minimum12
Precipitation, Minimum10
Precipitation, Maximum55
Precipitation, Maximum35
Planting Density per Acre, Minim700
Planting Density per Acre, Minim1212
Planting Density per Acre, Maxim2728
Planting Density per Acre, Maxim1700
pH, Minimum6.0
pH, Minimum5.0
pH, Maximum9.0
pH, Maximum8.5
Moisture UseMedium


Morphology/Physiology

Active Growth PeriodSpring, Summer, Fall
ToxicityNone
ToxicityNone
Shape and OrientationErect
Shape and OrientationErect
Fire ResistantNo
Foliage TextureMedium
Foliage Porosity WinterModerate
Foliage Porosity WinterModerate
Foliage Porosity SummerDense
Foliage Porosity SummerDense
Foliage ColorGreen
Foliage ColorGreen
Flower ConspicuousYes
Flower ConspicuousYes
Flower ColorYellow
Flower ColorYellow
Resprout AbilityYes
Fire ResistantNo
Fall ConspicuousNo
Fall ConspicuousNo
Coppice PotentialYes
Coppice PotentialYes
C:N RatioMedium
C:N RatioMedium
BloatNone
BloatNone
Active Growth PeriodSpring and Summer
Resprout AbilityYes
Fruit/Seed ColorBrown
Nitrogen FixationMedium
Nitrogen FixationMedium
Low Growing GrassNo
Low Growing GrassNo
LifespanModerate
LifespanModerate
Leaf RetentionNo
Leaf RetentionNo
Known AllelopathNo
Known AllelopathNo
Height, Mature (feet)14.0
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (fee14
Height, Mature (feet)12.0
Foliage TextureMedium
Fruit/Seed ColorBrown
Fruit/Seed ConspicuousNo
Fruit/Seed ConspicuousYes
Growth FormMultiple Stem
Growth FormMultiple Stem
Growth RateRapid
Growth RateRapid
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (fee12


Reproduction

Propagated by CuttingsNo
Propagated by SeedNo
Propagated by SeedYes
Propagated by SodNo
Propagated by SodNo
Propagated by SprigsNo
Propagated by SprigsNo
Propagated by TubersNo
Propagated by TubersNo
Seed per Pound19000
Fruit/Seed Period EndSummer
Seed per Pound19000
Seed Spread RateModerate
Seed Spread RateModerate
Seedling VigorMedium
Seedling VigorMedium
Small GrainNo
Small GrainNo
Vegetative Spread RateNone
Vegetative Spread RateNone
Propagated by CormNo
Propagated by CuttingsNo
Bloom PeriodLate Spring
Bloom PeriodLate Spring
Commercial AvailabilityRoutinely Available
Commercial AvailabilityRoutinely Available
Fruit/Seed AbundanceHigh
Fruit/Seed AbundanceHigh
Fruit/Seed Period BeginSpring
Fruit/Seed Period BeginSpring
Fruit/Seed Period EndSummer
Fruit/Seed PersistenceNo
Propagated by Bare RootYes
Propagated by Bare RootYes
Propagated by BulbNo
Propagated by BulbNo
Propagated by ContainerYes
Propagated by ContainerYes
Propagated by CormNo
Fruit/Seed PersistenceNo


Suitability/Use

Palatable Browse AnimalLow
Palatable Graze AnimalLow
Palatable Graze AnimalLow
Palatable HumanNo
Palatable HumanNo
Post ProductNo
Post ProductNo
Protein PotentialLow
Protein PotentialLow
Pulpwood ProductNo
Pulpwood ProductNo
Veneer ProductNo
Veneer ProductNo
Palatable Browse AnimalLow
Nursery Stock ProductYes
Nursery Stock ProductNo
Naval Store ProductNo
Naval Store ProductNo
Lumber ProductNo
Lumber ProductNo
Fodder ProductNo
Fodder ProductNo
Christmas Tree ProductNo
Christmas Tree ProductNo
Berry/Nut/Seed ProductNo
Berry/Nut/Seed ProductNo

Siberian Peashrub

Siberian Peashrub

Siberian Peashrub

Siberian Peashrub

Siberian Peashrub

Siberian Peashrub

Siberian Peashrub

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