Schisandra chinensis

Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.)) is a woody vine with numerous clusters of tiny, bright red berries. It is distributed throughout northern and northeast China and the adjacent regions of Russia, Primorye, Priamurye, Sakhalin and the Kurily islands and Korea.

It grows in mixed forests, on the clearings, along rivers and streams on well-drained humous soils, in felling places and old burnings. Ripens only on light-exposed sites. A woody liana with climbing branches (length up to 10 m, thickness up to 1.8 cm). It flowers in May-June, ripens in August-September.The fully ripe, sun-dried fruit is used medicinally. It is purported to have sour, sweet, salty, hot, and bitter tastes. This unusual combination of flavors is reflected in schisandra’s Chinese name wu-wei-zi, meaning “five taste fruit.”