Herb latin name: Caragana pygmaea


Family: Leguminosae



Edible parts of Caragana pygmaea:

Root - cooked. An emergency food, used when all else fails.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
120 cm
(4 feet)

Flowering:
May

Habitat of the herb:

Desert land at high altitudes with virtually no rain in the growing season, 3600 - 4800 metres.

Other uses of Caragana pygmaea:

The shoots are very flexible, they are used like string for tying. The wood is used for fuel.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. It usually germinates in 2 weeks. Stored seed should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in warm water then sown in a cold frame. If the seed has not swollen then scarify it and re-soak for another 12 hours before sowing. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks at 20°C. Good percentage. 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. Layering in spring.

Cultivation of Caragana pygmaea:

Desert land at high altitudes with virtually no rain in the growing season, 3600 - 4800 metres.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Caragana pygmaea:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.