Imagine our surprise, when the odd evergreen vine, Kadsura longipedunculata began flowering for the first time last month. This woodland vine hails from Southern and Western China, where it’s prized for it’s medicinal uses. Reportedly, it is used to treat arthritis, cankers, digestive issues, infections, and as a perfume. This member of the Schisandraceae family is first cousin to Illicium (anise), as you can tell by the flower similarity. We have been extremely impressed with its performance in the four years that our plant has been in the ground. This collection is seed grown from the JCRA’s Mark Weathington’s Chinese collection.
Is there a variegated-leaf version of this? Cross breed with variegated Kadsura japonica ‘Fukurin’?
I am not aware of any variegated forms of this species. It should hybridize with K. japonica.