Caragana or

Siberian Peashrub

(Caragana arborescens)

General Description

Drought tolerant legume, long-lived, alkaline-tolerant, tall

shrub native to Siberia. Ability to withstand extreme cold

and dryness. Major windbreak species.

Leaves and Buds

Bud Arrangement - Alternate.

Bud Color - Light brown, chaffy in nature.

Bud Size - 1/8 inch, weakly imbricate.

Leaf Type and Shape - Pinnately-compound, 8 to 12

leaflets per leaf.

Leaf Margins - Entire.

Leaf Surface - Pubescent in early spring, later glabrescent.

Leaf Length - 1½ to 3 inches; leaflets 1/2 to 1 inch.

Leaf Width - 1 to 2 inches; leaflets 1/3 to 2/3 inch.

Leaf Color - Light-green, become dark green in summer;

yellow fall color.

Flowers and Fruits

Flower Type - Small, pea-like.

Flower Color - Showy yellow in spring.

Fruit Type - Pod, with multiple seeds. Pods open with a

popping sound when ripe.

Fruit Color - Brown when mature.

Form

Growth Habit - Erect, oval shrub with sparse branches.

Texture - Medium-fine, summer; medium-coarse, winter.

Crown Height - 6 to 14 feet.

Crown Width - 6 to 12 feet.

Bark Color - Olive-green in color, angled from the nodes,

with pale, horizontal lenticels.

Root System - Dense, spreading.

Environmental Requirements

Water

Drought tolerant. Does not perform well on very wet or

very dry sandy soils.

Light

Full sun.

Uses

Conservation/Windbreaks

Medium to tall shrub for farmstead and field windbreaks

and highway beautification.

Wildlife

Used for nesting by several species of songbirds. Food

source for hummingbirds.

Agroforestry Products

No known products.

Urban/Recreational

Screening and border, ornamental flowers in spring.

Pests

Common diseases include stem decay, Septoria leaf spot

and branch cankers. Common insect pests include blister

beetles in mid to late summer.

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