Sign 11
5 Flavor Berry
Schisandra chinensis
- Bloom Time:
- Late Spring
- Family:
- Schisandraceae
- Form:
- Vine, Deciduous Woody
Vine
Description: The 5 Flavor Berry blooms with small, fragrant white or pinkish flowers in late spring, followed by red berries that ripen in late summer/early fall. The flowers attract bees and butterflies. It’s a deciduous woody vine approximately 20’ – 30’ or more in length.
Schisandra berries have been treasured in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years as a tonic for energy and calm. Called the “five flavor fruit,” they combine sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent tastes. Dried berries are brewed into teas, wines, and wellness tonics.
Photo: Vladimir Kosolapov, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More plant info
What to look for
The vine flowers in late spring with small, fragrant, waxy flowers, then hangs long clusters of bright red berries in late summer and fall. Crush a leaf and you will smell lemon.
Where it comes from
Five flavor berry is a woody vine from the forests of northern China, the Russian Far East, Korea and Japan, hardy in zones 4 through 8. In the wild it climbs up trees toward the light.
People and schisandra
The berries are called five flavor fruit because they taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent all at once. In Korea they are made into a cordial called omija-cha, and the berries have a long history in Chinese traditional medicine.
Sources
Guided tours of the arboretum are free, by appointment. Text Mary at 978-887-4202.