Akebia Quinata (Chocolate Vine) 木通（アケビ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are flowers of Akebia quinata or commonly known as chocolate vine. The shades ranging from pale green to burgundy purple are so chic, aren't they? Chocolate vine is monoecious, meaning it has male and female flowers on the same plant. What look like flowers in these photos are however not flowers but sepals and the objects protruding from the center of the what-look-like-flowers are the female flowers and the smaller pink and purple striped, onion-shaped objects beside the female flowers are their male counterparts. The fruits are edible, though I've never tried.  

Male (smaller striped) and female (protruding from the center of what-look-like-flowers)
flowers of Akebia quinata　木通の雄花と雌花

Before the sepals open　萼片が開く前

Chocolate vine　アケビ

  

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木通（アケビ）の花です。雌雄同株なので雄花と雌花が同じ木につきます。紫の花びらに見えるのは実は萼片。その中心から突き出ているのが雌花で、その横のストライプの小さく丸っこいのが雄花です。

アケビの実、食べたことがありません。いつか食べてみたいです♬

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