Porcelain berry, Turquoise-berry vine, Blueberry climber, Pepper vine
Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata

Family: Vitaceae

What it is like

A climber which grows up to 20 m long. It climbs with twisting tendrils. It loses its leaves during the year. Leaves are alternate and have lobes. They have teeth around the edge. The leaves are 8-13 cm long. They are an attractive bright green. Flowers are light green and produced in clusters. The fruit is carried in small bunches. Fruit are 6-8 mm across. The fruit can be white, pink, green or blue. They turn black when ripe.

There are about 20-25 Ampelopsis species.

Where it is found

It grows naturally in thickets in hills all over Japan. It needs a warm sheltered position in full sun. The need a fertile porous soil. It can grow in light shade. It cannot tolerate water logging. It can survive frosts. It does best with a pH of 6-6.5. It suits hardiness zones 4-10.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Indochina, North America, Russia, USA

How it is used for food

The leaf buds are eaten cooked. The leaves and stems are eaten cooked. The fruit are eaten raw or cooked.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves

How it is grown

It can be grown by seed, cuttings or layering. Softwood or hardwood cuttings can be used. It should be near a wall or trellis.

In China plants flower from July to August and fruit September to October.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Vitis heterophylla; Ampelopsis heterophylla var. amurensis (Planch.); Ampelopsis brevipendunculata (Max.) Koehne; Cissus brevipedunculata (Maxim.);