Plant · P-047

Siberian Pea Shrub

Caragana arborescens

Siberian Pea Shrub is a true legume that fixes its own nitrogen through root-nodule bacteria, and its seeds - up to 36 percent protein - cook up as a pulse, four to six per pod, though their bland flavor needs a strong spice to carry it. It doubles as a hardy windbreak shrub for open, exposed ground, tolerating cold, wind, salt and poor soil. It self-sows and suckers freely enough that Minnesota restricts its sale and transport as a noxious weed, so any planting needs its pods snapped before they burst and its suckers grubbed out to stay in bounds.