Chocolate Vine
Akebia quinata (a-KEE-bee-uh kwi-NAY-tuh)
Chocolate vine is a vigorous, edible, deciduous to semi-evergreen, twining, perennial vine in the lardizabala family (Lardizabalaceae). It is native to China, Japan and Korea and is an invasive species in North Carolina. The species epithet is Latin for "having five [leaflets]." Chocolate vine grows rapidly, maturing up to 40 feet tall, and can overtake shrubs and other vegetation in the landscape if not kept in check. Even with heavy pruning, it can be difficult to manage. It will die back with a hard freeze but will remain evergreen in warmer climates. It spreads in part by birds eating the fruit and dispersing the seeds. The inner white flesh of the fruit is edible; however, many people have a negative attitude toward eating the slimy, mold-like tissue. Please choose a native or less problematic plant. Suggestions, including plants that fill a similar niche, appear to the left. Quick ID Hints : Schefflera-like, palmately compound leaves. Flowers pendulous, 3-petaloid, purple-brown. Purplish, sausage-shaped, pulpy, seamed fruit. Deciduous, woody, twining vine. Leaves and flowers on dwarf shoots. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: It is listed as an invasive species by the NC Invasive Plant Council. Though not designated a noxious weed by the federal government, several states list it on their invasive species lists, and environmental groups consider this plant too invasive to plant where it can spread or reseed itself into natural areas and crowd out native plants.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 57 attributes.