Siberian Peashrub, Peatree, Caragana                        kar-a-GA-na ar-bo-RES-enz

• 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.  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.
• arborescens: tending to be woody.