Kadsura coccinea, Kadsura

Kadsura coccinea is an uncommon fruiting vine that can be found in themountainous regions of Southern China and Vietnam.  These plants have remained in the regions that haven’t been largely impacted by human development and have recently gained popularity in their native region.  The fruits are like striking colorful pineapples hanging from a vine.  Sounds awesome, right? The fruits apparently have a mild flavor and can vary considerably between seedlings and clones.  Flavors such as peach, pear, floral and spicy may be expressed.  

There isn’t a lot of cultivation information for Kadsura and there really isn’t a whole lot of information about them in general.  It is highly likely that these seedlings may be hybrids of multiple different Kadsura spp.  Further, it is possible that plants may be dioecious, meaning that male and female may be on separate plants, but there is evidence to prove that there are plants that are monoecious.  Regardless, these plants are super beautiful with their succulent foliage, bright red new growth, long pannicles of flowers, and incredibly striking fruit.  

Unclear whether mono or dioecious

Family:  Schisandraceae

Name: Kadsura coccinea

Common Name / Native Name: Kadsura, 

Range: South China to Vietnam

Sun: Can tolerate part shade to full sun

Height: Vining habit, unknown

Width: Unknown

Foliage: Lanceolate deep green, glabrous foliage

Flower: Not terribly showy but very beautiful yellow/red flowers

Fruit: A huge and beautiful fruit resembling a red pineapple, can be the size of a softball or larger

Soil Type/ pH: Neutral to acidic, likely

USDA Climate Zones:

Cold Hardiness: Supposedly cold hardy, definitely down to at least USDA Zone 9a

Edibility: Supposedly delicious but also reported as being quite mild in flavor as experienced in conditions in Hawaii. A lack of chill may influence flavor and sweetness.  

Sources:

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:554572-1