Chocolate vine

Akebia quinata

Akebia quinata, also known as a Chocolate vine, is a cold resistant, climbing plant, typical of China Japan and Korea. The leaves are green, oval-shaped, and grow in clusters of five. Chocolate-purple flowers bloom in the spring. Flowers are monoecious, with both staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers appearing in the same raceme. The plant produce a fruits with an elongated shape and a purple hue in summer which split open in fall. The fruit ripen in late fall. The whitish pulp is edible, but not very palatable. The plants prefers sunny places, but develops well in the shade and drained, sandy loam soil.

Attention: Unripe fruits are poisonous!!!

For more fruit, it is better to plant more than one plant, which ensures better pollination.