Landscape Plants

     
A genus of 4-5 species of evergreen or deciduous vines.  Leaves alternate, palmately compound, 3-5 leaflets.  Flowers unisexual, male and female in the same pendulous cluster, larger female (pistilate) flowers at the base, they are without petals but rather have 3-4 petaloid sepals that are brown-violet.  Fruit are fleshy, ovoid-oblong, purple or violet.  Native to Japan, Korea, and China.  The more readily available forms are A. quinata, A. trifoliata, and a hybrid of these two known as A. × pentaphylla
Akebia: Japanese name for the plants.