Caragana can provide an important source of food for animals such as camelos.
Caragana, more commonly known as Siberian weed bush, is a genus of shrubs or small trees native to the cold and semi-arid regions of Siberia in Russia and the northeastern Manchurian region of China. They are also imported and widely planted in Canada and in the northern parts of the United States as breakwaters and hedgerows. The herb bush is resistant even in poor soils, fast growing and tolerant to extreme cold and drought; It is able to thrive in inhospitable landscapes where many other trees and shrubs cannot be found. In addition to helping prevent wind erosion, Caragana also provides habitat for wildlife and grazing animals, especially sheep and camels.
Caragana, also known as Siberian weed bush, is native to the cold and semi-arid regions of Siberia, in Russia.
This genus includes more than 100 species of shrubs and small trees, of which Caragana arborescens is more commonly known as wort or wort of Siberia. ‘Walkeri’ is a variety of the herb bush that has a weeping shape, or that makes it more popular for ornamental and landscape use. ‘Lorbergii,’ ‘Nana’ and ‘Pendula’ are some other varieties that are grown as ornamental shrubs. When used as an ornamental, the shape of the bush can be altered with selective pruning as it grows.
Caragana can provide grass for livestock such as sheep.
Generally, Caragana grows to a height of 10 to 15 feet (3.1 to 4.6 meters) with a slightly narrower spread. It presents an erect form, with multifilament branches and small ovate leaves. The deciduous leaves are a bright green in the spring and not in the summer and turn yellow in the autumn. Small yellow flowers appear in May, which are replaced by elongated seed pods during the summer. The fruits become tan or brown as they ripen and become like this when they open at the end of the summer and in the autumn.
When planted in rows along the borders of the plantations, the Sibéria herb bush grows quickly into a dense protective border. They also have a large and branched root system; Both of these qualities make Caragana an excellent choice to keep or just not place and reduce wind erosion in two fields. Caragana can live up to 50 years, but must be pruned every three or four years to maintain its thick foliage and triage properties.
In China, the Caragana has been widely used in land reclamation projects. The extensive roots protect against erosion by sand, but also help prevent water erosion on shorelines when planted in soils. Caragana also has nitrogen fixation properties and adds organic matter only in the form of sheets and serapilheira. The only ones previously poor foram improved with the planting and maintenance of large orchards of ervilha bushes.
Caragana is also an important source of nutrition for wild life, as well as for herds of sheep, goats, camels and reindeer. In cold climates, the fern bush provides foliage and cascades during the winter, when the capim gives pradaria fica covered with snow. The seeds can also be harvested out of season and used as ear feed during the winter months. The plant itself benefits from periodic “pruning” provided by animal hairs that graze. Pruning encourages thicker growth the following spring.