How to identify Chocolate vine (Akebia quinata)
Chocolate vine, also known as Five-leaf chocolate vine
Chocolate vine is characterized by its woody, twining growth that can extend up to 30 feet (9 meters). It has palmately compound leaves with five 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7.6 cm) long leaflets that may exhibit a purple tinge before maturing to green. Flowering typically occurs in late winter to mid spring, presenting clusters of fragrant purplish-brown flowers with three petal-like structures. Following pollination, chocolate vine produces purplish, elongated, sausage-shaped fruit with a sweetish pulp, although fruiting is infrequent. This deciduous vine bears leaves and flowers on its shorter shoots.
Lifespan: Perennial
Plant Type: Vine, Shrub
Leaf Type: Semi-evergreen
Woody twining growth up to 30 feet (9 meters)
Palmately compound leaves with 5 leaflets, purple tinge
Fragrant purplish-brown flowers with 3 petal-like structures
Elongated, sausage-shaped fruit with purple skin and white flesh
Slender, twining stem with color change from green to brown
Chocolate vine has alternate, palmately compound leaves with five leaflets. Each leaflet measures between 1 inch (2.5 cm) and 3 inches (7.6 cm) in length and is oblong-obovate or elliptic in shape. The leaflets are emarginate and rotund with entire margins. They exhibit a bright blue-green color on the upper side and are glaucous beneath. In cold weather, they can turn purple. The petiolules, which attach the leaflets to the main petiole, are about 1 cm (0.4 inches) long.
The flowers of chocolate vine are small and range in color from reddish to purple. They are fragrant with a spicy aroma and appear in mid-spring. Each flower lacks petals but features three concave sepals, measuring about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Male and female flowers are present in the same raceme; male flowers are smaller and clustered, while female flowers are on elongate pedicels. Flowers grow on old wood, making post-bloom pruning ideal.
The stem of chocolate vine is slender and twining, exhibiting a characteristic change in color as it matures. When young, it is green with a smooth texture, transitioning to a brown hue as it ages. The stem is relatively thin, typically reaching a few millimeters in diameter, and displays a distinctive climbing habit. It features sparse branching, with a flexible and adaptive growth pattern that aids in its twining nature, making it suitable for climbing on supports or other structures.
The fruit of chocolate vine is a distinguishing 4-inch-long (about 10 cm) fleshy ovoid structure, reminiscent of a miniature cucumber. It showcases a captivating purple hue on its skin. As autumn arrives, the fruit uniquely splits open to reveal an interior that boasts an edible, white flesh with a textural similarity to dragon fruit. Embedded within the succulent flesh are numerous tiny, black seeds that contrast starkly against the white backdrop, adding to the fruit's striking appearance.
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Scientific Classification of Chocolate vine
