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Lardizabalaceae FAMILY

Decaisnea fargesii

Decaisnea fargesii

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
GrowthMedium

Decaisnea fargesii is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c when fully dormant[1]. It grows best in areas with hot summers, where it more fully ripens its wood. In cooler climates the wood does not ripen well and is then more susceptible to damage from winter cold. The young growth in spring is very susceptible to damage from frosts[PFAF]. An easily grown plant[2] succeeding in most soils[3], but it prefers a rich moist loamy soil and a sunny position sheltered from cold winds[4, 1]. Succeeds in partial shade[1]. Prefers partial shade, succeeding in full sun if the soil is reliably moist[3]. Dislikes drought[PFAF]. Plants usually fruit well and regularly in Cornwall[5, 6] and a specimen has been seen on a number of occasions at Kew Botanical gardens laden down with fruit[PFAF]. The flowers are produced at the tips of the new upright growths in the spring[5, 3]. Plants take some years from seed to produce fruit[3]. A very ornamental plant[7]. It is fairly fast growing but it looks gaunt and open in the winter[2]. Plants do not usually require pruning[3].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1], it then usually germinates freely in early spring[PFAF]. Sow stored seed in late winter in a greenhouse. This usually germinates well, within 1 - 3 months at 18°c[4]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on under protection for their first winter. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Decaisnea+fargesii>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  3. [3]Climbers and Wall Shrubs. — Davis. B. · Viking. · 1990 · ISBN 0-670-82929-3 ↩︎Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
  4. [4]Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1991 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.
  5. [5]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  6. [6]Flora of Japan. (English translation) — Ohwi. G. · Smithsonian Institution · 1965 · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
  7. [7]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  8. [8]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  9. [9]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  10. [10]Plantae Wilsonae. Vol 1 - 3 — Wilson. E. H. · University Press; Cambridge. · 1911 - 1917 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Details of the palnts collected by the plant collector E. H. Wilson on his travels in China. Gives some habitats. Not for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  11. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎