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Actinidia polygama

Common name:	Silver Vine	Family:	Actinidiaceae
Author:	(Siebold.& Zucc.)Maxim.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:	Trochostigma polygama (Siebold.& Zucc.), Actinidia volubilis ((Siebold.& Zucc.)Planch.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan
Habitat:	Woodlands and hedges in mountains throughout Japan[58].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Mata-Tabi [E], Silver Vine [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	polygama = polygamous, with both single and dual sex flowers on one or different plants
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Theales. Chinese Gooseberry family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious climber growing to 6m. It is hardy to zone 4 and is frost tender. It is in flower in June. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Bees and insects. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Cultivar '418-77': Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit Leaves Tea.

Fruit - raw or cooked[183]. Not very palatable, it is eaten salted[151, 177]. Some cultivars have nice flavoured fruits[183]. The fruit contains up to 5 times the vitamin C. of blackcurrants[74]. Fairly large fruits, up to 3cm across[200]. It contains a number of small seeds, but these are easily eaten with the fruit[K].
Leaves - raw or cooked[4, 61, 105, 177, 183]. The leaves can also be roasted and mixed with tea[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Hallucinogenic Sedative.

The leaves are hallucinogenic and sedative[192]. The leaves contain substances that make them very attractive to cats and for this reason they are especially useful as a sedative for lions etc in zoos[192]. When consumed in large quantities the leaves can have a mild hallucinatory effect[192].
Polygamol, which is made from the fruits, is used as a heart tonic[218]. A dry decoction is used to treat colic and rheumatism[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a sound loamy neutral soil[1, 200]. Succeeds in semi-shade but full sun is best for fruit production[200]. Prefers a sheltered position[200].
Plants are hardy to about -30° c. when dormant but young growth in spring can be cut back by late frosts[160].
Fruits are formed on second year wood and also on fruit spurs on older wood[126], any pruning is best carried out in the winter[219]. The flowers are fragrant[245].
This is a climbing plant, supporting itself by twining around branches etc[200].
The plant is very attractive to cats and can be damaged by them[74, 151, 200].
This species has been confused in literature with A. kolomikta[198]. It is closely related but can be distinguished by the leaves which are tapered at the base whilst those of A. kolomikta are heart-shaped[219].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
One report suggests that plants are self-fertile whilst another says that they are dioecious. It is likely that most plants are dioecious but that there are some self-fertile hermaphrodite forms. A cultivar named 418-77 is self-fertile[183].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[133]. It is probably best if the seed is given 3 months stratification[113], either sow it in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in November or as soon as it is received. Fresh seed germinates in 2 - 3 months at 10° c, stored seed can take longer[133]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When the plants are 30cm or more tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts[K]. Most seedlings are male[126]. The seedlings are subject to damping off, they must be kept well ventilated[113].
Cuttings of softwood as soon as ready in spring in a frame[K].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very high percentage[113].
Cuttings of ripe wood, October/November in a frame.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are fragrant.

Cultivars

'418-77': A very vigorous grower, this cultivar is said to be self-fertile[183].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Actinidiaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[126] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 6. 1984 - 1985. Royal Horticultural Society 1984
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Actinidia and Wisteria species.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[151] Wilson. E. H. and Trollope. M. N. Corean Flora. Royal Asiatic Society 1918
A very small handbook, it does give a little bit of information on Korean plants.

[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[192] Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8
A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.

[198] Li. H. L. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. Volume 32. Arnold Arboretum. 1952
A monograph of the genus Actinidia.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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