Akebia

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Akebia
Akebia quinata02.jpg
Akebia quinata
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Lardizabalaceae
Genus: Akebia
Decne. (1837) [1]
Species

5, see text

Synonyms [2]

ArchakebiaC.Y.Wu, T.C.Chen & H.N.Qin (1995)

Akebia is a genus of five species of flowering plant, within the family Lardizabalaceae. The scientific name, akebia, is a Latinization of the Japanese name for the species Akebia quinata: akebi (通草).

Species

There are five species: [1] [3]

FlowerNameCommon nameDistribution
Akebia apetala (Quan Xia, J.Z.Sun & Z.X.Peng) Christenh.China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan
Leaf of Ching.jpg Akebia chingshuiensis T. Shimizu Taiwan
Akebia longeracemosa (14168601575).jpg Akebia longeracemosa MatsumuraLong Racemed Akebia China and Taiwan
Akebia quinata 003.JPG Akebia quinata (Houttuyn) DecaisneChocolate vine or five-leaf akebia China, Korea and Japan
Akebia trifoliata1.jpg Akebia trifoliata (Thunberg) KoidzumiThree-leaf akebia China, Korea and Japan

Hybrids

Fruit

Akebia quinata and Akebia trifoliata both bear edible fruit, containing a sweet white flesh. [4] 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). [5] The "insipid" akebia varieties have the flavor intensity of dragon fruit [6]

Akebia in Japan

Akebia is often mentioned in Japanese literature, where it is evocative of pastoral settings. [7] 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. [8] The taste is described as sweet but rather "insipid". [8] Some people recollect in idyllic terms how they foraged for it in the hills as children. [9]

The purple-colored, slightly bitter rind has been used as a vegetable in Yamagata Prefecture [9] [10] or in those northern areas, where the typical recipe calls for stuffing the rind with minced chicken (or pork) flavored with miso. [10] 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. [7] 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. [11]

Akebia fruit growing in western Washington Akebia in PNW.jpg
Akebia fruit growing in western Washington
Ripe Akebia quinata grown in Washington state Aquinataflesh.jpg
Ripe Akebia quinata grown in Washington state

Akebia in North America

Akebia quinata is a minor invasive species in the majority of the East Coast and was introduced in 1845 as an ornamental plant. [12] This is because the plant has no natural predators or diseases in North America and can grow as it pleases. Its shade tolerance and ability to endure full sun allow it to adapt to nearly all conditions it is grown in. In the East Coast, Akebia quinata has been reported in, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and as far north as Michigan and Wisconsin. [12]

In the West Coast of the United States, Akebia quinata has not become a very invasive species. [12] However, it has been reported in Washington State and Oregon. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Citrus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. Various citrus species have been used and domesticated by indigenous cultures in these areas since ancient times. From there its cultivation spread into Micronesia and Polynesia by the Austronesian expansion ; and to the Middle East and the Mediterranean via the incense trade route, and onwards to Europe and the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vine</span> Plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent stems or runners

A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent stems, lianas, or runners. The word vine can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cucumber</span> Species of flowering plant that produces cucumbers

The cucumber is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables. Considered an annual plant, there are three main types of cucumber—slicing, pickling, and seedless—within which several cultivars have been created. The cucumber originates in Asia extending from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, China, and Northern Thailand, but now grows on most continents, and many different types of cucumber are grown commercially and traded on the global market. In North America, the term wild cucumber refers to plants in the genera Echinocystis and Marah, though the two are not closely related.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melon</span> Type of fruit

A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The word melon derives from Latin melopepo, which is the latinization of the Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopepōn), meaning "melon", itself a compound of μῆλον (mēlon), "apple", treefruit " and πέπων (pepōn), amongst others "a kind of gourd or melon". Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of cantaloupes.

<i>Ptelea trifoliata</i> Species of tree

Ptelea trifoliata, commonly known as common hoptree, wafer ash, stinking ash, and skunk bush, is a species of flowering plant in the citrus family (Rutaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It is a deciduous shrub or tree, with alternate, trifoliate leaves.

<i>Passiflora edulis</i> Species of flowering plant in the passion flower family Passifloraceae

Passiflora edulis, commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to southern Brazil and Peru. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy fruit. The fruit is a pepo, a type of berry, round to oval, either yellow or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The fruit is both eaten and juiced, with the juice often added to other fruit juices to enhance aroma.

<i>Citrus unshiu</i> Citrus fruit and plant

Citrus unshiu is a semi-seedless and easy-peeling citrus species, also known as the satsuma mandarin or Japanese mandarin. During the Edo period of Japan, kishu mikans were more popular because there was a popular superstition that eating Citrus unshiu without seeds made people prone to infertility. Citrus unshiu became popular in Japan after modernization started in the Meiji period. It was introduced to the West from the Satsuma region of Japan in 1878.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trifoliate orange</span> Species of plant in the Rutaceae family

The trifoliate orange, Citrus trifoliata, is a member of the family Rutaceae. Whether the trifoliate oranges should be considered to belong to their own genus, Poncirus, or be included in the genus Citrus is debated. The species is unusual among citrus for having deciduous, compound leaves and pubescent (downy) fruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuzu</span> Citrus fruit and plant

Yuzu is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of East Asian origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though recently also in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy, and France.

<i>Akebia quinata</i> Species of plant

Akebia quinata, commonly known as chocolate vine, five-leaf chocolate vine, or five-leaf akebia, is a shrub that is native to Japan, China and Korea, commonly used as an ornamental / edible plant in the United States and Europe In its native habitat, it is often found on hills, in hedges, on trees, along forest edges and streams, and on mountainous slopes.

<i>Siraitia grosvenorii</i> Sweet plant fruit extract

Siraitia grosvenorii, also known as monk fruit, monkfruit, luohan guo, or Swingle fruit, is a herbaceous perennial vine of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is native to southern China. The plant is cultivated for its fruit extract, called mogrosides, which creates a sweetness sensation 250 times stronger than sucrose. Mogroside extract has been used as a low-calorie sweetener for drinks and in traditional Chinese medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange (fruit)</span> Citrus fruit

An orange, also called sweet orange to distinguish it from the bitter orange Citrus × aurantium, is the fruit of a tree in the family Rutaceae. Botanically, this is the hybrid Citrus × sinensis, between the pomelo and the mandarin orange. The chloroplast genome, and therefore the maternal line, is that of pomelo. The sweet orange has had its full genome sequenced.

<i>Boquila</i> Genus of flowering plants

Boquila is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lardizabalaceae, endemic to temperate forests of central and southern Chile and Argentina. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Boquila trifoliolata, locally known as voqui blanco or pilpil in its native range, and sometimes referred as the chameleon vine since a recent report on leaf mimicry. The species was first described in 1782 by Juan Ignacio Molina, and the genus itself was established in 1839 by Joseph Decaisne. B. trifoliata forms non-parasitic vines that wind around host plants, using them for structure and protection. B. trifoliata is monoecious, and its flowers are an off white color. It bears an edible fruit and has been historically used in rope and basket making.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese wine</span> Wine making in Japan

Although viticulture and the cultivation of grapes for table consumption has a long history in Japan, domestic wine production using locally produced grapes only really began with the adoption of Western culture during the Meiji restoration in the second half of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watermelon</span> Large gourd fruit with a smooth hard rind

Watermelon is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieties.

<i>Zanthoxylum piperitum</i> Species of plant

Zanthoxylum piperitum, also known as Japanese pepper or Japanese prickly-ash is a deciduous aromatic spiny shrub or small tree of the citrus and rue family Rutaceae, native to Japan and Korea.

<i>Akebia trifoliata</i> Species of plant

Akebia trifoliata also known as chocolate vine,three leaf chocolate vine or three leaf akebia, is a species of flowering plant. It is a close relative of the more commonly known Akebia quinata.

<i>Akebia longeracemosa</i> Species of plant

Akebia longeracemosa or long-racemed akebia is a member of the chocolate vine genus, Akebia, and more specifically a relative of the commonly known, Akebia quinata.

<i>Akebia apetala</i> Species of plant

Akebia apetala is a species of flowering plant in the Lardizabalaceae family. It has only been found in Northwestern China.

References

  1. 1 2 "Akebia Decne". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  2. Akebia Decne. Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. "Akebia". Flora of China. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
  4. "Akebia quinata". PFAF.
  5. "Akebia: A Potential New Fruit Crop in China". HortScience. Archived from the original on 2018-04-06.
  6. "Chocolate Vine - Akebia quinata | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  7. 1 2 Davidson, Alan, and Tom Jaine. The Oxford companion to food. Oxford University Press, USA, 2006. 805. Print. Retrieved Aug. 09, 2010, from
  8. 1 2 Sargent, Charles Sprague (March 25, 1891), "Plant Notes-The Fruit of Akebia quinata (With Figure.)" (google), Garden and Forest, 4 (161): 136
  9. 1 2 Nimura, Kazuo(二村一夫)r (2006-07-22). "食の自分史" [Self-history on food]. 『食の自分史』. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 Yamagata City Health Center (2011-01-31). "あけびの詰め物" [stuffed akebia]. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2017., photograph shows trifoliate variety (twig, fresh purple plant, and prepared dish)
  11. Dai Nihon Nōkai (1895). Useful plants of Japan: described and illustrated (google). Vol. 1. Agricultural Society of Japan. p. 92.
  12. 1 2 3 "chocolate vine: Akebia quinata (Ranunculales: Lardizabalaceae): Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States". www.invasiveplantatlas.org. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  13. maryholscher (2019-10-13). "Five-leaf Akebia (Akebia quinata)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-01-09.

Further reading