Magnolia vine
Schisandra chinensis
Also called Schisandra, Five-flavour berry and Wu wei zi
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitYOU NEED A MALE AND A FEMALE unless the label says self-fertile — most sold plants are seedlings and about half will never fruit. The berries hang in scarlet strings and taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent at once, which is the name.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 4 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Part shade, with the roots cool
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Hardy — a very cold winter RHS H6, to -20°C
- Size
- 6 m tall · 3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Climber
- Origin
- North-eastern China and the Russian Far East
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Neither authority names Schisandra. That is an absence and not a clean bill.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Years of strong growth and flowers, and no berries. Most plants sold are seedlings and about half are male — you need one of each unless the label says self-fertile, and there is no way to tell before it flowers.Never fruits · disorder
- Brown crisp patches on the leaves facing open sky in July. It is a woodland-edge climber: the top can have light, the roots must be cool and shaded.Scorched leaves · disorder