Magnolia vine, Five flavourfruit
Schisandra chinensis
Family: Schisandraceae
What it is like
A deciduous creeper. It grows 6-9 m long. It spreads 6 m wide. The young stems are red. The leaves are rounded. They are large and light green. The flowers are small and white. They droop in clusters. Plants are separately male and female. The fruits are fleshy and red. They occur in long strings. These are 15 cm long.
There are about 25 Schisandra species. It has medicinal properties.
Where it is found
A temperate plant. It is best in rich moist soil. In northern China it grows in valleys along rivers between 1,200-1,700 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 4-10.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, Britain, China (country/location of origin), Europe, Indochina, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Russia, SE Asia, Slovenia, USA, Vietnam
How it is used for food
The young leaves are boiled and eaten. The fruit is eaten raw or dried. They are also used for tea. The fresh fruit are used to make a soft drink. A paste from the fruit is mixed with hardy kiwifruit (Actinidea arguta) to balance the acidity.
Edible parts
Fruit, leaves, fruit - tea
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from suckers. Plants should be pruned after fruiting.
It takes a few years before plants flower and fruit. In northern China plants flower in May to July and fruit in July to September.
Its other names
Local names
Chosen-gomishi, Kitajska shizandra, Nguvi, Omija, Phanhung Trungquoc, Wu Wei Zi