Woody > Akebia > Akebia quinata > Akebia quinata
Akebia quinata
Fiveleaf Akebia
Origin: China, Korea and Japan.
Mike's
Opinion
"
An excellent vine, although not particularly showy, it has the subtle elegance that can be appreciated by the refined plants person. Well behaved and by no means a garden thug as can be the case with many garden vines. Pest free in my experience.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Lardizabalaceae |
| Genus |
| Akebia |
| Species |
| quinata |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Vine |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 - 8 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 2a - 8a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 - H4 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-32) - (-7) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-25) - 20 |
| Height |
| 5 m |
| Spread |
| 3 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
click to expand
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A vigorous vine that thrives in partial shade to full sun and prefers good garden soil. It remains relatively unblemished throughout the growing season. |
| Landscape |
| An unusual but attractive vine for a blank wall, best in partial shade and where the soil has some moisture, so avoid dry overhangs on buildings. |
| Cultivation |
| An easy to grow plant that can be pruned in the late spring after it has flowered. It is not as vigorous as some of the other garden thug vines such as Campsis radicans. |
| Shape |
| Vine. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| ID Characteristic |
| As the common name denotes, it has five leaves and has dark blue black flowers and fruit. |
| Pests |
| None of note. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Young stems are green becoming brown with age with many prominent lenticels. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Vey small imbricate buds. |
| Leaf Description |
| Small palmate shaped leaves with five sessile leaflets to a leaf. |
| Flower Description |
| Three petaled, with the petals recurving away from the centre of the flower. Flowers are about 4 cm across and are a purple black in colour. |
| Fruit Description |
| The fruit is rare to set, but if it does it will resemble a larger version of the flower before it opens. I have never seen the fruit of the plant, only pictures. |
| Colour Description |
| There is little autumn colour. |
| Texture Description |
| Medium to fine textured vine. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Weldon Library, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. |
| Propagation |
| Softwood cuttings. Seed on moist sphagnum moss at 5°C for 3 months. |
top