Description
Caragana – Peashrub –
There are about 80 species of deciduous, often spiny shrubs or small trees, in this genus. They occur on dry soils in exposed sites from Eastern Europe to Central and Eastern Asia. They are grown for their leaves, which are alternate, pinnate, and often clustered at the branch tips, and their pea-like flowers, which are usually yellow, but sometimes white or pink held singly or in small clusters borne in spring and summer. Flowers are followed in autumn by slender straw colored pods, 3/4-2 ½” long. Grow in a shrub border or as windbreaks.
Grow in well drained, moderately fertile soil in full sun. Will thrive even in neutral to slightly alkaline, dry soils in cold and exposed sites. Best where climates have cold winter and hot, dry summers. May become weedy.
C. pygmaea – Pygmy Pea Tree – This low growing, spiny shrub with arching or semi prostrate shoots found from the Caucasus to Eastern Russia and temperate Asia grows 3′ feet tall and 5′ feet wide. It produces small, pinnate, mid green leave s, to 1 1/4″ long, consisting of 4 narrow leaflets of inversely lance shaped leaflets. From late spring to summer, on previous years growth it bears nodding yellow flowers, 1″ long, held singly along the shoots.
Zones 4-8
