Akebia (Chocolate Vine): A little different

In many ways, landscapes are like blank canvases for gardeners to fill as they see fit. We use plants of all different shapes, sizes, and colors in the hopes that the result will be something pleasing to the eye. Most of us primarily use trees and shrubs, as well as flowering herbaceous plants (either annuals or perennials) to complete our landscapes. Many landscapes also make space for vines, which have a unique ability among plants to travel and stretch along structures like trellises and arbors. This growth habit leads to really interesting shapes that we wouldn’t otherwise see in our landscapes.

Among vines, soft-stemmed plants like clematis, Carolina jessamine, and morning glories are fairly common, often used around mailboxes or on small trellises. Woody-stemmed plants like honeysuckle, and climbing roses are also familiar to most gardeners and are a good fit for climbing on heavy duty structures. All of these plants are lovely and fine choices for the proper situation, but if you’re a plant geek like me, you’re always looking for something a little bit different. Akebia quinata, commonly known as Five-leaf Akebia or Chocolate Vine, is just such a plant. 

Akebia has the distinction among vines of producing both attractive flowers and interesting fruit. Many vines have nice blooms, of course, but far fewer produce fruit worth mentioning. Akebia’s blossoms are found in small clusters early in spring, opening just shortly after the plant has finished leafing out. The color and the light fragrance of the bloom remind one of chocolate, hence its common name. The flowers are attractive, particularly from up close, but may not overwhelm you as the glossy foliage of Akebia tends to hide some of its blooms.

Top left: The blossoms appear in early spring, and have a light chocolate fragrance. Photo: Alspdake, CC BY-SA 3.0 Top right: Close-up of the palmately compound leaves. Photo: Monado, CC BY-SA 3.0 Lower left: Grown as a vine. Photo: J. Robbins, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Lower right: The purple, sausage-shaped fruit.

The foliage itself is an attractive bluish green, made up of five leaflets. It emerges in the spring with just a tinge of purple in March, before fading to its usual color. It remains on the vine until about December without changing color in the fall. When grown in warmer climates, Akebia is an evergreen.

Akebia’s odd fruit are what make it truly unique among vines. Each vine produces several light-purple seed pods that reach 2 to 4 inches long. Many sources describe the fruit as sausage-shaped, though they tend to be much plumper than your average sausage, swelling as the seeds inside mature. In fall, the pods split open and reveal a pulpy white core that surrounds the numerous black seeds inside. It is an unusual sight, to say the least. 

Unfortunately, It should be noted that while Akebia is not listed as a noxious weed by the federal government, several states list it as an invasive weed due to its propensity to spread aggressively and reseed. The North Carolina Invasive Plant Council does list it as an invasive plant. It’s not nearly as aggressive as wisteria or English ivy, but given this, I can’t in good conscience recommend that you plant Akebia. It is, nonetheless, an interesting plant that you may encounter in public gardens and arboreta, including both of the ones that I have worked at, though I myself did not plant it in either location. While it can be a problematic plant, it is one that I will always stop and spend some time with every time I encounter it.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.