Scientific Name:
Decaisnea insignis
Pronunciation:
deh-KANE-ee-uh far-GHEE-zee-eye
Common Name:
dead man's fingers
Family Name:
Lardizabalaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves bright green, pinnately compound, 40-80cm long with 13-25 leaflets that are ovate to elliptic and up to 15cm long x 4cm wide; florets 2-3 cm wide, bright green-yellow, in pendent panicles 30-45cm long; pods about 10cm long, dull metallic blue. Winter ID: twigs thick; leaf scars large and heart-shaped; buds appressed, ovoid, pointed.
Habit:
Arching, Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
3 - 5m
Mature Spread:
3 - 4m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (China, Himalayas)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 7: (-18 to -12 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest, Mixed shrub border, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
6
Corolla Shape:
Funnelform
Colour (petals):
Flower Time at Peak:
May
Additional Info:
Six petal-like sepals
Fruit Type:
Follicle
Fruit Colour:
Blue
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy
Bark Morphology:
Plated, Smooth, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Heart shaped
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
