Chocolate Vine, Akebia quinata, also called five-leaf Akebia, climbing vine, genus Akebia, a member of the family Lardizabalaceae, indigenous to China, Korea and Japan. It is a delightful, fruit bearing plant, with edible fruit and decorative chocolate and vanilla-scented flowers. Flowers appear in mid-spring with female and male on the same plant.


The plant is green when young but it becomes brown with maturity. The leaves are palm-shaped with up to five small ovoid leaflets. Flowers are chocolate-purple in color followed by purple, fruits (pods)

Chocolate Vine Fruit

Chocolate Vine fruit or pods are 10cm long, sausage-shaped and contain an edible pulp. Hand-pollination of the flowers might be essential in order to develop these sweet pulpy fruits.

The plant is shade tolerant and could invade wooded habitats where it might surround, and kill small trees or bushes. It grows to 10 meters or more. Growth seems to be restrained only by the height of the object it is entangling.

The vine is good for arbors and fences and favors a dampish acidic soil. It’s hardy to well below -17C (0Fahrenheit) and once established is as well drought tolerant. It will grow in nearly all climates. Five-leaf Akebia is invasive in a few parts of the world.

Chocolate Vine Propagation Methods

Plant propagation is mostly by softwood cutting and layering. Lay about one meter of the Chocolate Vine on the ground. Notch the vine slightly with a sharp knife every 10 to 15cm.

chocolate vine, Akebia quinata, five-leaf akebia

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