Siberian pea shrub, Siberian pea-tree
Caragana arborescens

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 3.5-6 m high. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are soft and spineless. They are alternate and compound. There are 8-12 green leaflets. The central stalk is 4-8 cm long. The leaflets are oval and 12-25 mm long. There are small spines at the base of each leaf. The flowers are pale yellow and occur in loose clusters. They are pea like. They have slender stalks. The fruit is a pod. It is 4-5 cm long and swollen. It splits open with a twist when ripe. It contains many seeds.

There are 80 Caragana species. They grow in temperate continental climates.

Where it is found

It is a cool temperate plant. They do best in climates with cold winters and hot, dry summers. It is frost hardy. It can tolerate poor conditions. It can stand poor soil, salt and wind. In north China it grows between 1,000-1,900 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 2-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Belarus, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Europe, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Manchuria, Mexico, Mongolia, North America, Poland, Romania, Russia, Siberia (country/location of origin), Slovenia, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten cooked. They often need spices to add flavour. The young green pods are cooked and eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds, pods

How it is grown

It can be cut back and allowed to regrow.

Its other names

Local names

Black karagana, Drevesasta karagana, Shu Jinjier, Tree Caragana

Synonyms

Caragana sibirica Medikus; Robinia caragana L.; and others