blue sausage fruit or dead man's fingers
Decaisnea insignis
Lardizabala family (Lardizabalaceae)
Eat me … if you dare
The blue fruits of the Decaisnea insignis shrub conjure up different associations from little blue sausages to the cold fingers of dead people. Although they are perfectly edible, not everyone warms to the idea of eating slippery, flesh-like fruit.
In spring the shrub forms clusters of delicately coloured, yellow-green flowers that protrude from between large, pinnate leaves. The shrub can grow up to 6 m in height but since it only grows slowly it can be accommodated in a small garden.
The species occurs naturally in western China where it grows predominantly in moist, mixed forests in mountainous areas. Since populations can grow to high altitude, and thus tolerate cold conditions well, in the Netherlands this species is considered to be frost hardy.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Haren Botanic Garden.
The raw fruit, a yellow pod about 8 cm long, is filled with a white juicy pulp that is very sweet and thus pleasant to eat.
Details
Description: | Shrub, low branching shrub with big feathery leaves, up to 3.50 m. |
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Distributions: | Nepal - himalayas |
Habitat: | Moist woods and thickets beow 3000 m in altitude. |
Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
Hardiness: | 5 - 14 f (hardy - cold winter) |
Flowering period: | Juni |
Flower color: | Yellow, green |
Notes on flowers: | The greenish-yellow flowers are between 3-6 cm in diameter and borne in pendent racemes. |
Fruiting period: | Augustus - oktober |
Fruit color: | Yellow, blue, green, black |
Notes on fruits: | The fruits are borne in clusters of three pendulous, cylindrical pod-like follicles of 5-10 cm long and ca. 2 cm in diameter. |
At its best: | Juni, oktober |