Appearance

Growth form

A woody evergreen climber whose main stem can grow 4–5 in (10–12 cm) thick at the base.

Leaves

Compound leaves with 3–7 leathery, glossy leaflets spreading from one point. Each leaflet is 2–5 in (5–12 cm) long.

Flowers

Fragrant flowers about 3/4 in (2 cm) across, creamy white to pale yellow-green and often tinged with violet, in small clusters in April–May. They have six fleshy sepals and no petals. Male and female flowers are separate, and the female flowers are larger.

Fruit

Walnut- to egg-sized fruit, 2–2¾ in (5–7 cm) long, ripening dark reddish purple in September–October in Japan. Unlike Akebia, it doesn't split open. The pulp is sweet and juicy but full of seeds.

Look-alikes

chocolate vine (five-leaf akebia)Akebia quinata

Stauntonia keeps its thick, glossy leaves all winter, and its ripe fruit stays closed. Akebia fruit splits open lengthwise when ripe.

Why they get mixed up · Both are vines in the same family with hand-shaped compound leaves.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• Coastal evergreen forest
• Forest edges

Range

Native to Japan (from the southern Kanto region westward, including Okinawa), southern Korea, Taiwan, and China. It isn't native to North America.

Preferred conditions

Warm hills, mountainsides, and coastal areas.

Life cycle

Seed dispersal

In Japan, Japanese macaques eat the fruit and may help spread the seeds.

Connected species

Seed dispersers

• Japanese macaqueMacaca fuscata

  Eats the fruit in Japan and may spread the seeds.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories

• In Japan the fruit has a long history as a prized offering to the imperial court. Some growers still present it to the Imperial Household and to Omi Shrine.
• The stems and roots have been used in traditional Japanese medicine as a diuretic.