Blue sausage fruit

Blue sausage fruit: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright shrub with a few thick, sparsely branched stems, 3–4 m tall and about 3 m wide.

Leaves

Pinnate, 50–80 cm long, with 13–25 oval leaflets; fresh green, bluish green underneath. Yellow autumn colour.

Flower

Greenish-yellow, bell-shaped flowers in long, drooping sprays in May–June.

Fruit

Metallic blue, sausage-shaped pods 5–10 cm long in small clusters, ripe in September–October. Inside is white, translucent pulp with flat black seeds.

Taste

The pulp tastes mild and sweet, a little like melon.

Flowering: May–June · Harvest and fruit: September–October · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• A real eye-catcher in autumn: clusters of metallic blue pods you will not see anywhere else.
• Edible pulp with a mild, sweet taste, for anyone who likes to try something different.
• Large pinnate leaves with an exotic look, turning yellow in autumn.
• An elegant, upright shrub for the back of a large border or as a specimen in a lawn.
• Little pruning and rarely troubled by pests or diseases.

Blue sausage fruit: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it fruits best in sun, but on dry soil some protection from the strongest midday sun is welcome.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to neutral.
• Sheltered from strong wind, which damages the large leaves, and from late frost: avoid low-lying, cold spots.
• Allow 3 m of space: plant it as a specimen or at the back of a large border.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

4 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -20 °C)

Goes well with

• Beautyberry: Small purple berries in autumn, stunning next to the blue pods.
• Japanese maple: Red or orange autumn colour beside the yellow foliage.
• Hosta: Large leaves at the base, in partial shade.
• Ferns: A fresh underplanting that reinforces the exotic look.
• Japanese anemone: Flowers beneath the shrub in September, as the pods colour up.

Blue sausage fruit: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, when the soil is not frozen or too wet.
2. Dig a generous hole, twice as wide as the root ball, and mix in compost or leaf mould.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot and firm the soil well.
4. Keep about 3 m clear around the shrub, including from paths and buildings.
5. Water in generously straight away and regularly in dry spells during the first year.
6. Spread a mulch of compost or wood chips around the base.

Care

Water

Water regularly in dry spells during the first year; after that, a good soak now and then in dry summers keeps leaves and fruit looking better.

Feeding

A layer of compost or a little organic fertiliser in April.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould in spring keeps the soil cool and moist.

Late frost

On a frosty night in April–May, cover young plants with fleece so the young leaves do not freeze.

Harvesting

Pick the pods in September–October, when they feel soft and start to split open. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon and spit out the seeds; the skin is not eaten.

Tip: Only taste the fruit once the pods soften and begin to split open by themselves: that is when the pulp is at its sweetest.

Blue sausage fruit: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: Pruning is hardly needed. If necessary, do it in March, before the leaves break.

How:

• Cut dead, frosted or damaged shoots back to healthy wood.
• Every few years, remove one of the oldest stems at the base to keep the shrub young and open.
• After a late frost, wait a few weeks and only then cut out what is really dead.

Caution: Do not shorten all the stems: it branches little and would lose its elegant shape.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Preferably sow fresh seed in autumn in a pot outdoors; after winter it usually germinates well. A seedling only bears fruit after a few years.

Growing on

Pot up the seedlings individually and keep them sheltered in their first winter. Plant them out when they are sturdy enough, in spring or autumn.

Blue sausage fruit: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• Hardy to about −20 °C: the shrub comes through Belgian winters without protection.
• The biggest risk is late frost in April–May, which can damage young leaves and flower buds. Cover young plants with fleece when frost is forecast.
• Give young plants a layer of mulch over the roots for their first winters.

Diseases and pests

• Frosted young leaves: Black or brown young leaves after a late frost. Only cut out what is really dead; the shrub usually makes new shoots. Plant it in a sheltered spot.
• Torn or scorched leaves: Caused by strong wind or bright sun on dry soil. Choose a sheltered spot and water in dry summers.
• No fruit: Young plants only fruit after a few years, and late frost can destroy the flowers. Patience and a sheltered, sunny spot help.
• Drooping leaves: A sign of drought: water generously at the base and mulch the soil.

Through the year

• March: Remove dead shoots if needed. Plant.
• April: Plant. Add compost and mulch. Cover young leaves on frosty nights.
• May: Flowering. Cover in case of late frost.
• June: Last flowers. Water in dry spells.
• July: The young pods are growing. Water in dry spells.
• August: The pods turn blue.
• September: Harvest the pods when they soften and split open.
• October: Harvest the last pods. Sow the seeds. Yellow autumn colour. Plant.
• November: Plant. The leaves fall.

Edible and useful

Fruit (September–October)

The blue pods ripen in September and October, but a young shrub only bears after a few years, and sometimes not at all after a late spring frost. Pick them when they feel soft and start to split open by themselves: that is when the pulp is sweetest; leave hard pods on the shrub. Inside is a white, translucent, jelly-like pulp with rows of flat black seeds. It tastes mild and slightly sweet, a little like melon: do not expect a strong flavour. Spoon it straight from the pod and spit out the seeds, or sieve it and serve it over yoghurt or in a fruit salad, with a squeeze of lime juice to liven up the taste. The blue skin is not eaten.

Storing

Ripe pods keep for a few days in the fridge; the pulp does not keep well, so it is best eaten straight away. Preserving or drying is not worth the trouble: the flavour is too delicate.

Caution: Only eat the pulp: not the seeds and not the blue skin. The seeds are firmly embedded in the jelly: remove them with a spoon or a sieve, especially for children. Try just a little the first time: not everyone likes the jelly-like texture. Do not count on a harvest every year: after a late frost, or on a young shrub, there are no pods.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Yoghurt with blue sausage fruit, lime and mint (Dish · 2 people · 10 min)

Did you know?

• The genus is named after the French botanist Joseph Decaisne, who worked at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris; the species name honours Paul Guillaume Farges, a French missionary who collected plants in China.
• It belongs to the same family as the climber akebia, which also bears fruit with sweet, edible pulp.
• In English it is also called ‘dead man’s fingers’, after its blue, finger-like pods.