Autumn Blues. Decaisnea fargesii, Blue Bean Tree, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Though the day is glum and dark, I ventured anyway to the Hortus Botanicus just up the street where there's always something to see.
Here under a pewter sky is the Blue Bean Tree, Decaisnea fargesii. It hails from Asia, particularly western China and the Himalayas. The genus is named for the indefatigable taxonomist of Belgian extraction, Joseph Decaisne (1807-1882), who worked his entire botancial life in Paris. Our particular plant was discovered for western eyes by Père Paul Guillaume Farges (1844-1912), one of the famous French Missionary Botanists.
It seems the seeds are eaten by some indigenous peoples of the Himalayas but in the West this shrub is planted for decorative purposes. Indeed, the blue and the yellow leaves are striking, even in this dark weather.
Autumn Blues. Decaisnea fargesii, Blue Bean Tree, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Though the day is glum and dark, I ventured anyway to the Hortus Botanicus just up the street where there's always something to see.
Here under a pewter sky is the Blue Bean Tree, Decaisnea fargesii. It hails from Asia, particularly western China and the Himalayas. The genus is named for the indefatigable taxonomist of Belgian extraction, Joseph Decaisne (1807-1882), who worked his entire botancial life in Paris. Our particular plant was discovered for western eyes by Père Paul Guillaume Farges (1844-1912), one of the famous French Missionary Botanists.
It seems the seeds are eaten by some indigenous peoples of the Himalayas but in the West this shrub is planted for decorative purposes. Indeed, the blue and the yellow leaves are striking, even in this dark weather.