Characteristics and origin of kargan, rules for growing in the garden, recommendations for independent reproduction, pests, diseases, interesting facts, species. Caragana (Caragana) belongs to the genus of plants that have a shrub or tree-like form of growth, they are deciduous representatives of the flora and they are included in the legume family (Fabaceae), where there are up to 90 varieties of the same specimens of nature. Basically, the growing area falls on the lands of the European part of Russia, Siberia and Central Asia, but you can also find Karagan in some states of the United States and regions of the Far East.
The plant got its Kyrgyz name, which was given by the people and took root, thanks to the combination of two words: "kara", which means "black" and "gana" translated as "ear", due to the fact that caragana live in the thickets black-eared foxes. There is also another popular name - "yellow acacia" or "camel tail", which is associated with the bright color of flowers or the type of shoots and the placement of leaves on them.
The branches are upright, with sufficient branching. They are covered with golden or brown bark, sometimes cracking along the shoot. Sometimes they are covered with thorns, which are woody remnants of leaf stalks.
The leaves are arranged in the next order or in bunches, their shape is pinnately complex, they consist of 2 to 10 pairs of whole leaf lobes. The color of the leaves is dark green, sometimes the underside is slightly lighter. The surface of the leaflets is leathery, dense, with an obovate or elongated obovate shape.
When flowering, bisexual buds appear, which are placed both singly and are collected in bunches of 2-5 units, usually the flower petals are painted in light yellow or golden yellow tones. Their length can reach 2.5 cm. The shape of the flower is moth. The flowering process can last both all summer and stretch over 15–20 days.
After flowering, the fruits ripen in the form of beans, which are much longer than the petioles; when cracked, the valves begin to curl.
Caragana is a fairly winter-hardy plant and does not impose high requirements on the composition of the soil and watering, grows well in urban conditions, It has the property of enriching the soil with nitrogen. Since almost all varieties are quite similar to each other in morphological characteristics, it is recommended to use only 2-3 species when decorating plots. They are used when planting as undergrowth in forest parks or creating hedges or protective belts, and also with the help of a "camel's tail" you can strengthen the slopes.
Agricultural technology for growing caragana in the garden
- Choosing a place. "Yellow acacia" prefers to grow in a well-lit area with sunlight.
- The soil when planting caragana should be sandy, with some addition of peat soil (in a ratio of 3: 1).
- Landing rules. If with the help of "yellow acacia" it is planned to form a hedge, then the distance between the bushes (trees) should be 50x50 cm, when such a hedge is single-row. They are planted in two rows at a distance of 70x50 cm. In this case, the planting is carried out to a depth of 50 cm, but it is possible to deepen the root collar by another 1–2 cm. Planting is carried out in the spring-autumn period. If the soil is too heavy, the drainage layer in the hole is required, it can be crushed stone or gravel. It is recommended to fill such a layer at 20–25 cm. When planting, 150–200 grams of complete mineral fertilizer should be placed in the hole. Then you need to water each plant, and each bush should have from 10 to 15 liters of liquid.
- General care. If the plants are old enough, then they need not be fed, since they themselves saturate the substrate with nitrogen. Such caragana can even not be added for a long time, since they tolerate drought quite steadily. For "young growth" it is recommended to carry out shallow loosening of the soil. If the plants are just planted, then mulching with earth or peat should be carried out so that this layer is 5 cm. When cutting the "yellow acacia" planted in a hedge, shoots are removed by 1/3 of their length, and often by half, since the plant has the ability to quickly grow and branch. When the caragana is grown as a standard form, then the stripping is carried out to maintain its decorative appearance. If the form is decorative, then even at a young age the tree does not require shelter in the harsh winter months.
Description of independent reproduction of caragana
To get a new plant of "yellow acacia", you should sow seed or propagate it using layering, dividing the bush or root suckers. Due to the fact that cuttings take root very poorly (the percentage is only 30% of units), this method is used much less often.
Seeds should be sown into the substrate immediately after harvest or during the spring months. It is recommended to soak them for 24 hours before planting. If we carry out preliminary stratification for 10–40 days at 1–5 degrees (on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, for example), they begin to germinate already at a heat of 10 degrees. Seeds are planted to a depth of 4–5 cm. Then the planted material is mulched with peat or sawdust. After a month, shoots will already be visible. In the first years, such seedlings increase in height very slowly, then the process will go faster. Once five years have passed, flowering can be expected. However, in this case, the parental qualities of the caragana may be lost.
If the seeds are ripe, then they begin to germinate at a heat level of at least 25 degrees. Otherwise, they germinate much more slowly and their germination rate drops. If the planting takes place in late autumn, then success will be ensured, only in the case of a light substrate.
If grafting is carried out, up to 100% of only summer branches can take root if they are treated with a 0.05% solution of indolylbutyric acid (IMA) for 16 hours. Then the cuttings are planted in a light substrate (peat-sandy) and covered with polyethylene or a cut plastic bottle. It is recommended to air the cuttings every day and moisturize when the substrate dries. When new leaves begin to form on the branches, this will mean that the rooting process has been successful and you can plant a young caragana in a permanent place in the spring.
Some garden forms can be propagated by grafting on the main species.
Methods of pest and disease control of the caragan tree
Of the pests that harm the caragan, acacia aphids, acacia beetles, and acacia false scutes are isolated. When dealing with them, a 0.4% rotor solution is used. Also, on the trunks and under the bark, plants can make their moves of goldsmiths, glass bowls and barbel. To transform their reproduction and promote destruction, treatment with 1% phthalophos solution should be carried out. Also used insecticidal preparations with a wide spectrum of action.
If rust appears on the caragan, it is recommended to spray with 3-5% of the Bordeaux liquid composition. If a lesion with powdery mildew or white rot of trunks or shoots is detected, then cutting and destruction of those parts of the shrub that are affected by the disease are considered effective measures.
Interesting facts about Karagan
The properties of caragana have long been used in folk medicine. The most commonly used variety of caragana is maned, as it has anti-inflammatory properties. In spring and autumn, it is customary to harvest all aerial parts of the plant. Also, decoctions and tinctures were made from these parts, applicable for gastrointestinal diseases, as well as for relieving inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat or genitals, or skin. When conducting experiments on animals, the property of caragana has already been proven, which allows it to exhibit anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects, therefore, active robots are underway to further study the effect of the plant on the treatment of liver cirrhosis and hepatitis. We can say that the chemical composition of the "camel's tail" is not fully understood.
Types of caragana
Caragana arborescens (Caragana arborescens) is also called Yellow Acacia. The native area of distribution falls on the territory of Western Siberia, Altai, Sayan and Kazakhstan, as well as regions of Mongolia. Grows in scrub or undergrowth of pine or deciduous forests, mainly on sandy soils.
It is a shrub that can reach up to 7 m in height, the surface of the branches is covered with a smooth bark of a gray-green tone. Almost all buds are slightly covered by the base from the remaining leaf petiole. Sometimes they are placed in 3 pieces together and the two side ones are strongly pressed against the central one. The surface of the shoots is naked, faceted, they are covered with a brownish or brownish-green skin, which eventually cracks along. Leaves reach 10 cm in length, their shape is paired-pinnate. They consist of 4-7 pairs of leaflets with obovate contours, which measure 1-2.5 cm in length. In the spring months, the color of the leaf lobes is bright green, their surface is pubescent, in the summer they become green and naked, and with the arrival of autumn and until the very fall of the foliage can remain both green and acquire a yellow tone.
As soon as the plant is completely foliated, the flowering process begins. The flowers have a yellow shade of petals, they can grow both single and gather in bunches of 2-5 buds. The size of the flowers is large, they are bisexual, with a moth type. There are 10 stamens in the corolla of the flower, of which 9 grow together into a tube, and one remains free. There is a nectar-bearing thread at the bottom of the corolla. For 14 days, there is a massive bloom of caragana. Then the fruits ripen in the form of linear-cylindrical beans, narrow in shape, with a brown color. Ripening stretches over the period from July to August.
Caragana shrub (Caragana frutex) can be found under the name Dereza. Most often it can be found on the lands of the European part of Russia, Siberia, in the Ciscaucasia and Altai, as well as in Central Asia. The height is only 2 meters. Shoots are thin, twig-like, their color is brownish. The form of the shoots is ribbed, they are thin and covered with longitudinal golden stripes, their color is green or brownish, the color of the skin with which they are covered is silver and it has longitudinal cracking.
The leaves are formed by 4 obovate leaf lobes. The buds of this species are completely or partially covered with the remnants of leaf petioles. It is an elongated spike. The shape of the stipules is sickle-shaped, the tip is in the form of a needle. When flowering, the plant is very decorative, since everything is covered with bright yellow flowers. They are located singly and reach 2.5 cm in length. But the buds can grow 2-3 in a bunch. Ripening fruit, cylindrical, with a hard and bare surface. Fruiting begins after the plant is 5 years old.
In culture, the species has been from the middle of the 18th century, it is distinguished by frost resistance and unpretentiousness.
Caragana dwarf (Caragana pygmaea) can also be synonyms Robinia pygmaea or Caragana splendens Schischkin ex K. Sobol. Native growing areas fall on the Altai Territory, Mongolia and can be grown in culture in the European part of Russia and other countries. It prefers to settle in areas of mountains and steppes, on slopes of stones, rubble and rocky substrate, as well as in stony and deserted or sandy steppe lands, mountain valleys of waterways. It is a light-loving mesotroph and prefers drier areas for growth (mesoxerophyte, but not as dry as for xerophytes, respecting full dry land).
In height, such a shrub reaches the parameters of 0, 3-1, 5 meters (maximum 2.5 m), its branches are straightened, covered with bark of a yellowish or golden tone, on young shoots it is yellowish or grayish-brown. The leaves have a bundle-complex shape, they are sessile or on elongated shoots with a length of 1–2 mm. Stipules and leaf axis are also on long shoots, over time they harden and remain, their shape is thorny, up to 7-10 mm long. The leaf lobes are 8–20 mm long and up to 1–3 mm wide. There are two pairs of them, the outlines of the leaflets are obverse-lanceolate or linear-obverse-lanceolate, they are often folded lengthwise, there is a short thorn at the top. The surface of the leaflets can be either naked on both sides, or pubescent.
When flowering throughout the summer, bright yellow flowers are formed, their length is 15–20 mm. They grow on pedicels from the middle or slightly lower (or higher), have articulation. The calyx is 4–9 mm long, its contours are tubular-bell-shaped, pubescent with hairs or with a bare surface, and triangular teeth. When fruiting, a pod ripens in length reaching 2–3, 5 cm, with a width of about 4 mm, its contours are linear-cylindrical, covered with dense or sparsely growing hairs. By the time they mature, they become naked.
Caragana ussuriensis (Caragana ussuriensis). Basically, the growing area falls on the lands of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, as well as Northeast China. The height of this thorny shrub is 1.5 meters. The surface of the shoots is bare, they are ribbed, covered with brown and shiny bark. The color of the branches is gray-brown, they are covered with thorns, which are the remains of petioles that have already become lignified. A leaf is composed of 4 leaves with a reverse wedge shape, their arrangement is so dense that the impression of a finger-like shape. The leaves are almost leathery, reaching 3.5 cm in length. Their surface is dense, shiny on the upper side, the color is dark green, on the lower side it is lighter, there is a small spine at the top. The flowers are arranged singly, in rare cases in pairs, their sizes reach 2.5 cm in length, the petals are light yellow, when blooming, they acquire an orange or reddening color scheme. Flowering lasts 15–20 days. When ripe, elongated beans are formed, flattened on the sides, their length is measured at 3.5 cm.
Caragana jubata (Caragana jubata) can be found under the name "Camel's tail". Most often it grows on the territory of the Siberian lands and the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. She likes to settle on forest edges and stone slopes, you can find her in a river valley along the sandy and pebble banks of waterways. It is a shrub that easily tolerates frosts, reaching up to a meter in height. Its branches have a saber-like bend, the shoots are densely covered with leaf and for this it bears the popular name. The shoots are densely packed with thorns, up to 7 cm in length, with sharp thorns. The feathery leaves are composed of 4–6 pairs of leaf lobes with a dark green color, on the underside they have tomentose pubescence. Flowers are solitary, often pinkish, rarely whitish. The calyx has a dense hairy pubescence. The fruit is a brownish-brown bean and is crowned with a hard, sharp thorn. By September, seeds of a spherical shape, covered with spotting, begin to ripen. It can land both in groups and singly.
For more information on tree caragan or yellow acacia, see below:
