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[Bob Hartley <bob@sprucemt.com>]

I've had two Akebia vines for some years . They are two different 
species, Akebia quinata and Akebia trifoliata, with five and three 
leaflets per leaf respctively.  Both grow vigorously without any care or 
fertilizer and both produce lots of small purple flowers. Only the 
quinata, however bears fruit, a dozen or so on the one vine.  It looks 
as if the trifoliata pollen works on the quinata but not vice versa.  I 
consider the fruit useless, except to show friends what an odd looking 
thing it is and let them have a taste.  The "edible" part is a clear 
colorless gel studded with lots of hard round black seeds about 2 
millimeters in diameter.  The taste is about what you would expect from 
gelled sugar water.

Bob Hartley