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| ## Siberian peashrub {#siberian-peashrub .Title-Header}               |
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| *Caragana* *arborescens* Lam.                                         |
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| Plant Symbol = CAAR18                                                 |
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##### *Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

# 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.![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6979166666666665in"
height="2.65625in"}

*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.

\<http://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\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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