large-flowered holboellia

Survives zone 7 through 9

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

Edible lilac-purple, sausage-shaped fruit — closely related Holboellia species range from sweet to unpleasantly bitter, and detailed flavor reports specific to this species are thin, so treat its eating quality as unconfirmed rather than assumed-good.

Hardiness

Zone 7–9

Habit

Vine

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Autumn (pods split)

Mature size

Evergreen twining vine 5–8 m; containerable with hard pruning

Light

Partial shade

Soil pH

6.0–7.0

Environment

Montane

Native range

South-west China and northern Vietnam, in montane forest and thickets.

Status

Wild

Years to fruit

3–4 yrs

Growth speed

1–3 m/year — fast, evergreen, and needs solid support.

Spacing

300 cm (118 in) apart — about 9 m² (97 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Evergreen, alternate and palmate with three to seven leathery leaflets, larger than its relatives' and carried on a strong twining stem.

Root system

Vigorous, fibrous and spreading, with stems rooting where they trail along the ground; less aggressively suckering than Akebia but still capable of covering a lot of ground.

Fruit description

Sausage-shaped purple pods, larger than most in the genus, splitting to reveal sweet whitish pulp with black seeds through it.

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings in summer, or layering — the trailing stems root readily on contact. Seed is slow, best sown fresh, and can take up to 18 months to germinate.

Pollination

SELF-INCOMPATIBLE — plant 2 genetically distinct vines (a common failure)

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.