Akebia Trifoliata

Description

Chocolate vine, Three-leaf chocolate vine

Genus: Akebia
Species: Trifoliata
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)

Akebia trifoliata is a semi-evergreen vine with leaves composed of three ovate leaflets, often bronze when young. It grows up to 9.1 m in length. It loses its leaves in cold climates, but the woody, twisting branches are beautiful even when bare. The flowers are dark purple in short clusters, followed by light purple fruits. Like Akebie, it grows in USDA hardiness zones 5a through 9b: from -20 °F (-28.9 °C) to 30 °F (-1.1 °C). The plant is grown as a decorative plant for its flowers, but also for its edible purple fruits. The fruit itself has a sweet pudding-like taste. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with urinary tract infections and to “accelerate blood flow”. Fruit extracts have been shown to have diuretic, hepato-regenerative, neuroprotective, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity effects and reduce fat deposition. The bark, although inedible, has been found to contain a high concentration of cancer-fighting antioxidants that can be extracted by making tea from the bark. Akebia trifoliata has also been used to create “antibacterial pectin” from its waste products which can increase the profitability of the plant when grown commercially.