- Name: Chocolate Vine - Other Common Names: Threeleaf Akebia / Wild Banana - Scientific Name: Akebia Trifoliata - Color: Red-Brown Flowers - Plant Seeds: Outdoors After Frost / Fall / Cold Stratify / Indoors Weeks Before Last Frost - Bloom Time: Mid Spring (April) - Hardiness Zone: 4 - 8 - Plant Height: 4 - 6' - Plant Spacing: 9 - 12" - Light Requirements: Sun - Part Shade - Soil & Water Preferences: Average - Quantity: 15 Seeds - Other: The Chocolate Vine Is A Fast Growing Ornamental With Edible Fruit. The Beautiful Flowers Are Fragrant With A Sweet Light Chocolate Scent! The Fruit Pods Are 5" Long & Look Like Bluish-Purple Cucumbers! The Pulp Of The Fruit Is Eaten, & Can Be Enjoyed Raw, Dried, Or Uséd To Make Juice, Wine, Or Jelly. The Pulp Is Gelatinous & Has A Sweet Delicate Tropical Flavor, Slightly Similar To Coconut Milk. These Lovely Plants Can Grow In Full Shade, & Will Tolerate Rocky, Sandy, Or Clay Soil. The Chocolate Vine’s Leaves Are Evergreen In Warmer Climates. The Leaves Are Uséd To Make A Tea, & The Stems Are Uséd For Basket Weaving.