Caragana arborescens
Common name: 
Siberian Peashrub
Caragana
Peatree
Pronunciation: 
kar-a-GA-na ar-bo-RES-enz
Family: 
Fabaceae
Genus: 
Caragana
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Broadleaf deciduous shrub, multi-stemmed, erect, oval, 15-20 ft (4.5-6 m) tall, slightly less spread, but can be grown as a tree.  Leaves alternate, pinnately compound, 4-8 cm long, with 8-12 leaflets, each 1-2.5 cm long, obovate to elliptic-oblong, apex rounded and mucronate (abrupt tip), pubescent when young, bright green.  Flowers pea-like, yellow, 1.5-2 cm long, on stalks (pedicels) 1.5-2.5 cm long.  Fruit, pod, 3.5-5 cm long, with 6 reddish-brown, oblong to spherical seeds, 2.5-4 0 mm in diameter; pods open with a popping sound when ripe.
  • Sun or light shade.  Adaptable, very cold hardy, tolerant of poor soil, drought, alkalinity, salt, and strong winds.  It is a nitrogen fixer.  Not considered highly ornamental. But it is used as such in very cold regions, e.g., Fairbanks, Alaska.  Used as hedge, screen, wind break, and cover for wild life.  Can be grown as a "standard" (tree-like).
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 2         Native to Siberia and Mongolia.  Several cultivars are available.    Listed as a noxious weed in some Midwestern states.
  • arborescens: tending to be woody.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • plant habit, casual screen

    plant habit, casual screen

  • plant habit, sheared hedge

    plant habit, sheared hedge

  • leaves

    leaves

  • leaf

    leaf

  • leaves and developing fruit

    leaves and developing fruit