Akebia

Akebia is a genus of five species of flowering plant, within the family Lardizabalaceae.

Akebia
Akebia quinata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Lardizabalaceae
Genus:	Akebia Decne. (1837)[1]
Species
5, see text
Synonyms[1]
Archakebia C.Y.Wu, T.C.Chen & H.N.Qin (1995)

Akebia quinata is the most well known species as a minor invader in the majority of the American East Coast^[2] and some states in the West Coast.^[3]

Taxonomy

The scientific name, akebia, is a Latinization of akebi (通草), the Japanese name for the species A. quinata.^[4]

Species

There are five species:^[1][5]

Flower	Name	Common name	Distribution
	Akebia apetala (Quan Xia, J.Z.Sun & Z.X.Peng) Christenh.		China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan
	Akebia chingshuiensis T. Shimizu		Taiwan
	Akebia longeracemosa Matsumura	Long Racemed Akebia	China and Taiwan
	Akebia quinata (Houttuyn) Decaisne	Chocolate vine or five-leaf akebia	China, Korea and Japan
	Akebia trifoliata (Thunberg) Koidzumi	Three-leaf akebia	China, Korea and Japan

Hybrids

• Akebia × pentaphylla (Makino) Makino (A. quinata × A. trifoliata)

Fruit

Akebia quinata and Akebia trifoliata both bear edible fruit, containing a sweet white flesh.^[6] Flavor varies greatly in akebias, even within the same species, with some individuals displaying a complex flavor profile resembling a mixture of banana, passionfruit and lychee, with others being mild, or even insipid (flavorless).^[7] The "insipid" akebia varieties have the flavor intensity of dragon fruit^[8]

Akebia in Japan

Akebia is often mentioned in Japanese literature, where it is evocative of pastoral settings.^[9] Although the akebi commonly refers to the five-leafed species, the three-leafed species is used in much the same way for novelty food, medicine, and for vine material.

While only a minor food eaten while foraging in the past, akebia is considered a specialty crop today, only available when in season. The pods contain a white, semi-translucent gelatinous pulp that is mildly sweet and full of seeds.^[10] The taste is described as sweet but rather "insipid".^[10] Some people recollect in idyllic terms how they foraged for it in the hills as children.^[11]

The purple-colored, slightly bitter rind has been used as a vegetable in Yamagata Prefecture^[11][12] or in those northern areas, where the typical recipe calls for stuffing the rind with minced chicken (or pork) flavored with miso.^[12] Minor quantities of akebia are shipped to the urban market as a novelty vegetable.

In addition to consuming the fruit, akebia leaves are also made into a tea infusion.^[9] Outside of food and drinks, akebia vines are used for basket-weaving crafts. An old source lists Minakuchi, Shiga and Tsugaru (now Aomori Prefecture) as localities that produced baskets from the vines of trifoliate variety.^[13]

Akebia fruit growing in western Washington

Ripe Akebia quinata grown in Washington state

Gallery

• 
  Ripe Akebia trifoliata fruit
• 
  Akebia quinata leaves and flowers
• 
  Female flowers of Akebia quinata (large) and male (small)
• 
  Early fruit of Akebia quinata
• 
  Akebia quinata flower
• 
  Early fruit of Akebia quinata
• 
  Pinker more magenta fruits of an A. quinata
• 
  Bluish variety of A. trifoliata