Caragana korshinskii
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Caragana korshinskii, also known as Caragana or Korshinsk's Caragana, is a shrub belonging to the Fabaceae family. It sometimes grows as a small tree and can reach a height of 1-4 meters. The older branches are golden-yellow and glossy, while the younger branches are covered in white soft hairs. The pinnately compound leaves consist of 6-8 pairs of leaflets. The stipules are persistent, and the leaf axis falls off. The leaflets are lanceolate or narrowly elliptical, with a sharp or slightly blunt tip and prickles, and they have a gray-green color.
The flower stalks are densely covered in soft hairs, with the joints located in the middle to upper part. The calyx is tubular-bell-shaped, about 8-9 millimeters long and 4-6 millimeters wide, and densely covered in appressed short hairs. The calyx teeth are triangular or lanceolate-triangular. The banner petals of the corolla are broadly ovoid or nearly circular, slightly shorter than the standard petals, with small and short ears. The ovary is lanceolate and hairless. The flattened pod is lanceolate and sometimes sparsely covered in soft hairs. Caragana korshinskii flowers in May, and the fruits ripen in June.
It is distributed in Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Gansu in China, and it grows in semi-fixed and fixed sandy areas. It is often a dominant species in its habitat. The branches and leaves of Caragana korshinskii can be used as green manure and fodder. The stem bark can be used to make "maotiao fiber" for rope twisting, making hemp bags, and other purposes. It is a prolific flowering tree species and serves as an excellent source of nectar. It is an important tree species for windbreak and sand stabilization forests and soil conservation forests in the northwest region.
Morphologically:
Caragana korshinskii is a shrub, sometimes growing as a small tree, reaching a height of 1-4 meters. The older branches are golden-yellow and glossy, while the younger branches are covered in white soft hairs. The pinnately compound leaves consist of 6-8 pairs of leaflets. In long shoots, the stipules harden into spines, measuring 3-7 millimeters in length and persisting. The leaf axis is 3-5 centimeters long and falls off. The leaflets are lanceolate or narrowly elliptical, measuring 7-8 millimeters in length and 2-7 millimeters in width. They have a sharp or slightly blunt tip with prickles, a wide wedge-shaped base, and a gray-green color. Both sides of the leaflets are densely covered in white appressed soft hairs.
The flower stalks are 6-15 millimeters long and covered in soft hairs, with joints located in the middle to upper part. The calyx is tubular-bell-shaped, measuring 8-9 millimeters long and 4-6 millimeters wide. It is densely covered in appressed short hairs, and the calyx teeth are triangular or lanceolate-triangular. The corolla measures 20-23 millimeters in length, with broadly ovoid or nearly circular standard petals. The tip is slightly concave, about 16 millimeters wide, with short petioles. The wing petals have narrow petioles and are slightly shorter than the standard petals. The ears are small, tooth-like, and the keel petals have long petioles with extremely short ears. The lanceolate ovary is hairless. The flattened pod is lanceolate, measuring 2- 2.5 centimeters in length and 6-7 millimeters in width, sometimes sparsely covered in soft hairs. Caragana korshinskii flowers in May, and the fruits ripen in June.
Growth habit:
Caragana korshinskii grows in semi-fixed and fixed sandy areas. It is often a dominant species and has a strong adaptability to light. It can withstand both cold and high temperatures. It can safely overwinter in Inner Mongolia's Xilinguole region, where the average annual temperature is 1.5℃, the lowest temperature reaches -42℃, and the maximum depth of the frozen soil layer is 290 centimeters. Its heat resistance is similar to that of Caragana microphylla, with leaf injury occurring at 55℃ and a lethal temperature of 60℃. It is extremely drought-tolerant, both in terms of atmospheric and soil drought. Its wilting coefficient is 5.28%. It is more drought-tolerant than Caragana intermedia. Observations have shown that it can grow even when the sandy soil moisture content in the 0-190 centimeter root layer is as low as 0.3%. Robust growth occurs when the moisture content ranges from 1.90% to 3.04%. However, it is not tolerant of waterlogging. It prefers to grow in alkaline soils with a pH value of 7.5-8.0, particularly in limestone-rich calcareous soils. It can form extensive patches and can grow in barren, arid sandy areas, loess hills, deserts, and semi-desert regions. It shows rapid growth on sandy loam soils, with an average annual height growth of 67 centimeters. The roots of Caragana korshinskii have nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Geographical Distribution:
It is distributed in Inner Mongolia (northwestern part of Xilinguole League, Bayannur League, Alxa League), Ningxia, and Gansu (Hexi Corridor).
Main Uses:
Caragana korshinskii has significant ecological value due to its tall and dense shrubby growth, well-developed root system, nitrogen-fixing ability, and its ability to prevent wind erosion and maintain soil moisture. It is an important tree species for afforestation projects aimed at combating wind erosion and stabilizing sandy areas, as well as for soil conservation forests in desert, semi-desert, and dry grassland regions in China. In addition to its ecological value, it is also used as firewood, can be consumed as a food source, and serves as fodder for animals such as sheep. It is also a valuable material for green manure.