Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Magnolia-vine

(Schisandra chinensis)

galery
en

Description

Schisandra chinensis (common name: magnolia-vine, Chinese magnolia-vine, schisandra), whose fruit is called magnolia berry or five-flavor-fruit, is a vine plant native to forests of Northern China and the Russian Far East and Korea. Wild varieties of Schisandra chinensis are also found in Japan. It is hardy in USDA Zone 4. The fruits are red berries in dense clusters around 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long. Schisandra chinensis is a perennial, deciduous woody vine plant found at high latitudes and in cool climatic conditions. It commonly grows in natural coniferous or mixed forests or along streams and climbs up other trees or shrubs to reach optimal light conditions. In Russia, Schisandra chinensis is also called Limonnik or Maximowich's red grape. The name Limonnik comes from the lemony smell of different plant organs, especially the leaves. The prostrate woody stems usually grow 8–9 metres (26–30 ft) tall, but can reach a length of up to 25m. They are dark brown in colour and can reach 1.5–2 cm in thickness. New shoots are typically short, but they continue their growth after flowering until late in the season. The leaves are simple, oval-shaped (5–11 cm long and 3–7 cm wide) and alternating and the petioles have a slight red colouring. Multicellular trichomes are located on the abaxial leaf lamina. Stomata show a irregular, random distribution. The roots of Schisandra chinensis are branched and stay close to the soil surface. Nodes located on the stems can also produce roots. The genus Schisandra was first published by André Michaux in 1803, the name deriving from the Greek words schizein ('to split') and andros ('man'), referring to the separate anther cells on the stamens. In the 21st century, Schisandra chinensis belongs to the family of Schisandraceae. In earlier years, it was assumed that the species belonged to the family of Magnoliaceae, hence the name Chinese magnolia-vine. However, many differences in plant phenology between  Schisandra and members of Magnoliaceae led to the formation of Schisandraceae. Its Chinese name comes from the fact that its berries possess five basic flavors: salty, sweet, sour, pungent (spicy), and bitter. Sometimes, it is more specifically called běi wǔwèizi (literally "northern five-flavor berry") to distinguish it from another schisandraceous plant, Kadsura japonica, that grows only in subtropical areas.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum:
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order:Austrobaileyales
Family:Schisandraceae
Genus:Schisandra
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