Akebia quinata
Common name: 
Five-leaf Akebia
Five-leaf Akobin
Pronunciation: 
a-KE-be-a kwi-NA-ta
Family: 
Lardizabalaceae
Genus: 
Akebia
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Broadleaf deciduous (evergreen in mild areas) vine or ground cover, 20-40 ft (6-12 m), monoecious.  Leaves alternate, palmately compound, 5 (sometimes 3 or 4) leaflets, each about 4-7.5 cm long, obovate or elliptic, tip emarginate (shallow notch), base rounded or broad wedge-shaped, bluish green above.  Female or bisexual flowers have chocolate-purple, concave, fleshy sepals, 3 per flower, usually 2-5 flowers per cluster, each 2.5 cm diam.  Fruit white to purplish, 6-10 cm long, sausage-shaped, edible.
  • Sun to part shade.  Benefits from annual pruning.  Recovers quickly when cut to the ground.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 5      Native range from Central China to Korea and Japan.
  • Oregon State Univ. campus: Orchard Court on 30th St., unit 124; also behind Azalea House
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • plant habit, on wire trellis (MG Display Garden, Salina, KS)

    plant habit, on wire trellis (MG Display Garden, Salina, KS)

  • leaves

    leaves

  • flower cluster

    flower cluster

  • flowers

    flowers

  • developing fruit and leaves

    developing fruit and leaves

  • mature fruit and leaves

    mature fruit and leaves