Caragana sinica
| Caragana sinica | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Caragana sinica (common name: chinese pea shrub)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. It usually germinates in 2 weeks[K]. Stored seed should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in warm water then sown in a cold frame[2][3][1]. If the seed has not swollen then scarify it and re-soak for another 12 hours before sowing[4]. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks at 20°c[4]. Good percentage[5]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[3].
Layering in spring.
Cultivation: Prefers full sun and a light sandy dry or well-drained soil[6][5][1]. Does not require a rich soil, succeeding on marginal land[5].
This species prefers a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters, it does not grow so well in mild maritime areas such as western Britain.
The bark smells like liquorice[7].
This plant is closely related to C. ussuriensis. (Rel.)Pojark. (with which it was once united), a low shrub of rocks, forest glades and roadsides[8].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[1].
Range: E. Asia - N. China, Korea.
Habitat: Open slopes on mountains in Korea[9].
Edibility: Flowers - raw or cooked[10][11][12][13]. Boiled and washed[14].
Medicinal: The root contains a number of medically active constituents including saponins, stilbenes and caraganosides[9]. It has been shown to have antiinflammatory activity and is used in Korea in the treatment of arthritis, neuralgia, diarrhoea and bone weakness[9]. It is said to be restorative and tonic[8].
The stem is made into a broth with other foods and used in the treatment of advanced syphilis[15].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: C. chamlagu. Lam. Robinia sinica.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.