Virginia Tech Dendrology

fiveleaf akebia Lardizabalaceae Akebia quinata (Houtt.) Decne. symbol: AKQU
Leaf: Tardily deciduous, alternate, palmately compound with 5 leaflets; leaflets obovate to ovate, with rounded or notched tips, 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, entire margins, green or blue-green above and pale green below.
Flower: Species is polygamo-monoecious; maroon, 3 petals, fragrant, borne in drooping racemes; females 1 inch on the outside of the raceme; males 1/4 inch in the middle of the raceme; appearing with or just after the leaves.
Fruit: A fleshy pale green to purple-pink sausage-like pod, 2-4 inches long, ripening in late summer and splitting open to reveal sweet and flavorful white pulp containing black seeds. It seldom forms fruit when cultivated.
Twig: Slender, red-brown; buds small, imbricate, rounded to wedge-shaped and reddish-brown; leaf scars raised with 6 or more bundle scars.
Bark: Reddish to gray-brown, developing interlacing ridges and furrows.
Form: A dense twining/climbing vine or ground cover.

Additional Range Information: Akebia quinata is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information