Akebia - will flowers grow larger?

13 years ago

I bought this akebia plant, but I thought the leaves and flowers would be bigger. Will the flowers that bloom be bigger each year as the plant matures? I've never heard of such a thing, but these flowers are so dang small. Will I at least be able to smell the flowers if they remain this small?

And will the fruits be big? I think I read somewhere that even thought the flowers are small the fruits will be big.

Picture posted to give an idea of the size of the flower that's there. Penny shown for size comparison.

So what's the deal?

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Comments (8)

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
13 years ago
What romantic misconception were you under when you bought this weed?

Here is a link that might be useful: Akebia on invasive.org
kayjones
13 years ago
No - that's as big as the flowers and leaves get.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 years ago
Sorry to disagree but both flowers and leaves will get quite a bit larger. This is a very young plant and has not reached proper maturity. Full sized leaves should be about 3-5 inches acoss and held in groups of 3 or 5, depending on species.Flowers get about double in size to those in photo and are clustered in long racemes of 4-6 inches.

And fwiw, this vine is NOT a weed everywhere. Like all other invasive plant species, location is everything. And even in areas where it can be, it won't if you remove the fruit. And since the fruit is pretty skanky anyway (virtually no flavor and with the consistancy of mushy tapioca - ugh!!), might as well just grow the plant for the fragrant flowers and the shade tolerant, evergreen foliage.
EdwinNJ
Original Author
13 years ago
That's interesting, I've never heard of a plant doing that. I thought the way plants were, once they got old enough, they just bloomed, and the flowers were the same size every year, I mean, bigger on average as the plant gets older and hardier, but not a real significant change in scale.

huh.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 years ago
Perhaps I wasn't very clear :-) What I meant was that is obviously not a very mature plant since it is still in a container, not that these particular leaves or flowers will increase in size. An established, mature akebia vine in the ground will produce larger both leaves and flowers.
kayjones
13 years ago
Well, Gardengal, mine is about 7 years old and the leaves and flowers aren't that much bigger than when it was a young plant. The leaves are about 3" across and the blooms are about the size of a dime.
EdwinNJ
Original Author
13 years ago
no, I got what you said, I just find it odd.
Like I said, plants usually just start flowering one season all of a sudden, but the flowers are normal size, and don't get any serious change in scale, perhaps just a bit bigger on average from hardiness that comes with age
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
13 years ago
Kayjones, I don't know what to tell you. Individual akebia flowers here are about the size of a quarter, maybe larger, and each compound leaflet is about 3" long and 5-6" across.

The one in the photo above is minute compared to that.