Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Ranunculales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Akebia quinata
FAMILY
Lardizabalaceae
NEW! Click to go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Five-leaf Akebia from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Akebia quinata
FAMILY
Lardizabalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 078-01-001:
Akebia quinata
FAMILY
Lardizabalaceae
COMMON NAME:
Five-leaf Akebia, Chocolate-vine
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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JK Marlow jkm150201_679
February Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm150201_685
February Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_198
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Likely to become a serious invasive alien in the Southeast in the next decade, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_200
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
It forms dense mats in natural forests and is difficult to eradicate, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_202
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_203
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_204
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Five broadly oval leaflets arranged in a palm fan shape, per Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control.
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_207
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Long-stalked clusters of small flowers have fragrance likened to chocolate, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests.
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_208
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_212
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm150407_214
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Male flwrs smaller in terminal clusters; female 1-1.5" wide, on long stalks, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests.
)
JK Marlow jkm150422_394
April Jackson County NC
)
Susan Lochridge slo_20140404
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
Susan Lochridge slo_20140404b
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140814_551
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140814_554
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Its vigorous climbing vines cover and kill small trees and shrubs, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests.
)
JK Marlow jkm140814_559
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaflets obovate to elliptic to oblong, terminal leaflet usually largest, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests.
)
JK Marlow jkm140814_620
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140814_622
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140814_623
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140814_624
August Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140922_851
September Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Holding its own with Kudzu.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Akebia quinata
FAMILY
Lardizabalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Akebia quinata
FAMILY
Lardizabalaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 078-01-001:
Akebia quinata
FAMILY
Lardizabalaceae
45
Woody vine
Perennial
Monoecious
Non-native: Japan, China & Korea
Habitat: Escaped from cultivation to roadbanks, suburban woodlands, and floodplains, per Weakley's Flora
NEW! Click here to see a map from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US showing range and abundance.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team: New Invaders of the Northeast
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Deciduous/Semi-evergreen
Palmately compound: 5 leaflets
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Purplish/ Purple
Functionally unisexual
3-merous
3 sepals (usually)
Petals absent
6 stamens in staminate flowers
FRUIT:
Summer
Purple/Violet
Follicle
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control p202
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests p064
- New Invaders of the Northeast and Northcentral US p041
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast p059
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge p07
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide p052