| Decaisnea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Decaisnea fargesii | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Lardizabalaceae |
| Genus: | Decaisnea Hook.f. &Thomson[1][2] |
| Species | |
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| Occurrence data fromGBIF | |
Decaisnea Hook.f &Thomson, (猫儿屎属 māo er shǐ shǔ)[1] known commonly asdead man's fingers,blue bean plant, orblue sausage fruit, is agenus offlowering plants in the familyLardizabalaceae. It is native to eastern Asia, fromChina west toNepal and south toMyanmar.
The genus consists of one or two species, depending ontaxonomic opinion.Decaisnea insignis (Griffith) Hook.f. & Thomson was described from Nepal, and is sometimes restricted to the plants occurring in theHimalaya, with Chinese plants distinguished asDecaisnea fargesii Franchet. The only cited distinction between the plants from the two regions is the fruit colour, yellow-green inD. insignis and bluish inD. fargesii.[3][4] This is of little significance and the two are now combined under the older nameD. insignis by some authors.[5]
Decaisnea species aredeciduousshrubs or smalltrees growing to 5 to 8 m tall with trunks up to 20 cm in diameter. Theleaves arepinnate, 60 to 90 cm long, with up to 25 leaflets each up to 15 cm long and 10 cm broad. Theflowers are produced in droopingpanicles 25 to 50 cm long. Each flower is 3 to 6 cm wide with greenish-yellowsepals and no petals. Thefruit is a soft greenish-yellow to blue-black pod-likefollicle up to 10 cm long and 3 cm diameter. It contains a transparent, glutinous, jelly-like pulp containing numerous (around 40) flat blackseeds about 1 cm wide. The pulp is edible, but the seeds are not. The flavor ofD. fargesii fruit pulp has been described as sweet and similar towatermelon, and the texture described as "gelatinous".[6]D. insignis fruit has been described as "bland" and jelly-like.[7]
Decaisnea is grown as anornamental plant for its foliage and decorative fruit, bright blue in many cultivated specimens. Most plants in cultivation derive from Chinese seeds and are commonly grown under the nameD. fargesii. The plants are successfully grown in cooler temperate climates, and in fertile, well-drained soil. They are tolerant of temperatures as low as −15 °C (5 °F).
The fruit is valued for eating by theLepcha people ofSikkim.[8]
