Akebia

Akebia
Akebia quinata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
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 is a genus of five species of flowering plant, within the family Lardizabalaceae.

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]

FlowerNameCommon nameDistribution
Akebia apetala (Quan Xia, J.Z.Sun & Z.X.Peng) Christenh.China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan
Akebia chingshuiensis T. ShimizuTaiwan
Akebia longeracemosa MatsumuraLong Racemed AkebiaChina and Taiwan
Akebia quinata (Houttuyn) DecaisneChocolate vine or five-leaf akebiaChina, Korea and Japan
Akebia trifoliata (Thunberg) KoidzumiThree-leaf akebiaChina, Korea and Japan

Hybrids

Fruit

Akebia quinata and Akebia trifoliata both bear edible fruit, containing a sweet white flesh.[6][7] 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).[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

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Akebia Decne". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  2. ↑ "chocolate vine: Akebia quinata (Ranunculales: Lardizabalaceae):". Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Holscher, Mary (13 October 2019). "Five-leaf Akebia (Akebia quinata)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  4. ↑ Gledhill, David (2008). The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press. p. 40. ISBN 9780521866453.
  5. ↑ "Akebia". Flora of China. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
  6. ↑ "Chocolate Vine - Akebia quinata | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  7. ↑ "Akebia quinata". PFAF.
  8. ↑ "Akebia: A Potential New Fruit Crop in China". HortScience. Archived from the original on 2018-04-06.
  9. 1 2 Davidson, Alan, and Tom Jaine. The Oxford companion to food. Oxford University Press, USA, 2006. 805. Print. Retrieved Aug. 09, 2010, from
  10. 1 2 Sargent, Charles Sprague (March 25, 1891), "Plant Notes-The Fruit of Akebia quinata (With Figure.)" (google), Garden and Forest, 4 (161): 136
  11. 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.
  12. 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)
  13. ↑ Dai Nihon Nōkai (1895). Useful plants of Japan: described and illustrated (google). Vol. 1. Agricultural Society of Japan. p. 92.

Further reading

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