VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Pickeringia montana | Chaparral Pea 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Chaparral pea is important browse for black-tailed deer.  They carefully
pick out leaves and flowers from among the thorny stems; flower
consumption is particularly heavy.  Livestock rarely browse the
species [20].


PALATABILITY : 
Chaparral pea browse is rated as excellent to good for black-tailed
deer, depending on the season and the number of sprouts available.  It
is fair to poor browse for sheep and goats, poor for cattle, and useless
for horses [20].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Protein levels in chaparral pea are notably higher than levels in most
chaparral shrubs during the early growth stages, and higher than average
during winter [20].  Analysis of chaparral pea leaves and stems yielded
the following results [2]:

      Month      Crude Protein (%)        
     February           8.1          
     April             19.2          
     May               18.1          
     June              14.3           
     July              11.5
     August            11.4
     September          6.1
     October            7.5             


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Fire depletes nitrogen from chaparral soils.  Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
within chaparral pea root nodules increase soil fertility [18,22].

Chaparral pea provides watershed protection [11].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Black-tailed deer rarely browse chaparral pea in dense older stands.
Heaviest use occurs on recent burns or mechanically treated brush
fields, where deer readily crop young sprouts [20].  Light disking of
mature chaparral pea increases available forage because plants sprout
wherever roots are exposed [23].

Related categories for Species: Pickeringia montana | Chaparral Pea