Caragana arborescens Lutescens - Siberian pea tree

Caragana arborescens 'Lutescens' distinguishes itself from the Siberian Peashrub, or yellow acacia, by its vigour, its lemon yellow spring foliage, and its paler yellow flowers. It is a deciduous thorny bush with modest spring flowering, also known as 'Siberian Pea' due to its origins. It is an extremely hardy, undemanding, and drought-resistant plant that withstands the harshest conditions, although not very spectacular. It can be integrated into an informal hedge or a large shrub border. A valuable ally in harsh climates and poor or rocky soils!

Caragana arborescens 'Lutescens' belongs to the Fabaceae family (formerly known as legumes). The typical form is native to Siberia and Mongolia, where it is often planted as a hedge to protect orchards from wind and unwanted visitors. Hardy well beyond -20°C, this plant accepts a wide range of soils, slightly acidic to very limestone, even poor ones, but dislikes waterlogged soils. Its very deep root system allows it to withstand drought once the bush is well established.

The Siberian Peashrub 'Lutescens' is a deciduous bush of more or less rapid growth depending on the growing conditions. Left to grow freely, it consists of multiple stems, but it can also form a small tree with low branches. Its initially spherical crown becomes irregular over time. This 'Lutescens' form reaches between 4 and 7 m in height with roughly equivalent spread. The vegetation can be maintained through pruning. Its branches are thin and slightly trailing, with sharp thorns, which generally measure between 1 and 3 cm long. Its dense deciduous foliage consists of leaves divided into 5 to 7 pairs of small oval and hairy leaflets of about 2 cm, equipped with small thorns. When they appear in spring, their colour is a sour yellow. They turn green in summer and then yellow in autumn before falling. Flowering takes place from April to May. Short clusters of pale yellow pea-like flowers bloom here and there among the foliage, on the previous year's wood. This nectar-rich flowering is followed by the formation of 5 cm long pods, each containing 4 to 6 seeds. The young pods, as well as the peas and flowers, are edible.

The Siberian Peashrub 'Lutescens' is not a spectacular plant, but this shrub from the steppes of Central Asia is useful for wildlife and well-adapted to difficult conditions. It is valuable in soils which are poor and degraded due to the passage of construction equipment in a new garden. It excels in an informal or defensive hedge, especially alongside shrubs with purple foliage such as Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea'. It can also be associated with Lonicera tartarica and Lonicera fragrantissima, shrubby honeysuckles that are just as robust as it is.