The smell outside my kitchen door on the patio right now is coming from this wonderful climbing plant Akebia quinata, commonly know as the chocolate vine. I wouldn't describe the smell as chocolatey however it does have a wonderful sweet, spicy, vanilla-y scent when the sun actually shines long enough to warm it up. This plant is monoecious and has separate male and female flowers on the same plant so that the little stems hang down and have two different flowers on them.
Apparently they also bear an edible fruit but as they don't self pollinate you have to have two separate plants. I have now discovered a white form called A. quinata Shirobana. That has gone straight to the top of my wish list, not only does it have the white flowers I love, it may even polinate the one I already have and provide me with some fruit. Yum, can't wait.
Male flowers of A. quinata Shirobana
Female flowers of A. quinata
Pictures courtesy of ubcbotanicalgarden.org
4 comments:
Those are really nice to look at as well.
I imagine that our long winters here would not support those growing. Lucky you
yet again u have managed to bring nature into my little room :) They look so pretty and I can almost smell them :)
I had my window open today, but all u can smell when u do that is the brewery *ewww*
Very interesting...Ilearn a lot here, Jas. Are ginkos the same:???
Love,
Suz
I think they do grow in Canad Terry, would have to check to be 100% sure though.
Thanks Angel, glad to have brightened your day.
Ginkgos are a sort of prehistoric tree Suz and are dioecious, they have all male flowers on one tree and all female flowers on another tree.
xx
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