Caragana arborescens
| Caragana arborescens | |
|---|---|
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| Shelter break of Caragana arborescens | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Caragana |
| Section: | Caragana |
| Species: | C. arborescens |
| Binomial name | |
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Caragana arborescens Lam. |
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Caragana arborescens, the Siberian peashrub,Siberian pea-tree, or caragana, is a species of legume native to Siberia and parts of China (Heilongjiang Xinjiang) and neighboring Mongolia and Kazakhstan. It was taken to the United States by Eurasian immigrants, who used it as a food source while travelling west. In some areas of the United States it is considered an invasive species.
It is a perennial shrub or small tree up to 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in–19 ft 8 in) tall. Typically, it has a moderate to fast growth rate, being able to grow one to three feet during the first year after trimming.
The leaves vary from light green to dark green, and are alternate and compound with many small leaflets. Fragrant yellow flowers bloom in May or June. The fruits are legumes which contain many seeds, and ripen in July.
Caragana arborescens is hardy to USDA zone 2. It tolerates a variety of soils, but prefers good drainage. It is drought tolerant, and may drop its leaves in severe drought.
It can be trimmed back to the root, with 6 to 12 inches remaining aboveground, when it is desired to appear more like a bush than a tree. It will adapt well to this trimming if adequate water and nitrogen-rich fertilizer is supplied, and will regrow about 4 feet per year until reaching the desired height.
Caragana arborescens has no known serious disease problems. Grasshoppers can defoliate it, but it recovers well from the attacks. There are no known burrowing animals that feed on the root system.
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Wikipedia