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Chocolate Vine
Akebia quinata
Identification
Growth
habit is a twining and climbing woody vine or ground cover. Leaves
are compound; five stalked leaflets originate at the same point. The
leaves are blue-green in color and alternately arranged. Young stems
are green, while older mature stems become brown to gray. A key
identification tool is to look for the small notch at the tip of
each leaflet. This will positively identify this species.
Origin
Central China, Japan and Korea
Habitat
This species is tolerant of shade and drought. It prefers light,
sandy, well drained soil, but will invade an assortment of habitats.
It will climb very high in trees once established.
Ecological Threat
Chocolate vine forms a dense mat in the understory of forest
habitats, and quickly begins to climb trees once it becomes
established. It is capable of pushing out native plants, breaking
down trees and shrubs with heavy loads of twining vines. It is very
aggressive and moves into new areas quickly once established.
Recommended Native Alternatives
-
Trumpet creeper (Campsis
radicans)
-
Crossvine (Bignonia
capreolata)
-
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia)
These pages are designed to give the
layperson a general overview of non-native invasive plants commonly
found in the upper Hiwassee River watershed. For more comprehensive
and technical information about a particular species, visit one of
the web sites from our
Links
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