Akebia quinata
Common name
akebia
Family
Lardizabalaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
AKEQUI
Habitat
Terrestrial. In the open to semi shade along forest edges or road sides, climbing over structures or trees.
Features
A twining vine with palmate leaves comprising of five or less leaflets that are from 35 to 75 mm long. Has chocolate-purple coloured fragrant flowers 25mm across. Purple-violet flattened sausage shape pods to 100mm. (T. McCluggage pers com)
Similar taxa
A climber with relatively large palmately compound leaves, Akebia quinata is quite distinctive in New Zealand. The fragrant chocolate-purple flowers that give rise to the common name chocolate vine are produced August to October.
Flowering
August, September, October
Flower colours
Brown, Violet/Purple
Fruiting
February
Year naturalised
1940
Origin
Japan, China, Korea
Etymology
akebia: An adaptation of the Japanese name for these plants
quinata: From the Latin quinque ‘five’, referring to the five-lobed leaves
Reason For Introduction
Ornamental
Life Cycle Comments
Perennial.
Reproduction
Spreads vegetatively and by seed.
Seed
Plants are almost certainly wholly or partly self-sterile. Viable seed is produced
Dispersal
Humans (T. McCluggage pers com)
Tolerances
Shade and drought tolerant. (T. McCluggage pers com)