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Schisandra chinensis - Magnolia vine
Magnolia vine is a valuable climber originating from China, Korea, and Syberia, grown for ornamental and medicinal purposes as well as for consumption. Its main attraction are the leaves, elliptic or oval, deep green with red petioles. Stems are brown and reach between 3 and 10 m (with 0,5 - 1,5 m of annual growth). In autumn scarlet, round berries appear, borne in grape-like clusters. Most often they don't decorate the plant for a long time as berries are picked just after they completely ripen. They contain schisandrine (tonifying and strengthening substance), vitamin E and easily assimilated microelements: iron, copper, manganese, nickel, molybdenum, titanium and zinc, as well as being high in magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Fruit can be eaten raw or processed e.g. it may be dried or made into juice, extract, infusion or liqueur. Schisandrine and other substances of medicinal properties are present also in bark, leaves and seeds. An invigorating and energizing infusion can be made from dried leaves. The outer shell of the fruit is sweet, the flesh sour, the seeds bitter and tart, whereas magnolia vine's extract tend to be salty. This unusual combination of flavours is reflected in its Chinese name "wu-wei-zi", meaning five taste fruit. In the Far East, besides ginseng, schisandra is the most popular herbal drugs. It is used to combat physical and mental fatigue, drowsiness, exhaustion, depression, anemia, lung, liver and digestive system diseases and poor visual acuity. It should not be used in case of nervous hyperactivity, insomnia, hypertension and heart diseases.
Magnolia vine is a monoecious plant e.g. it has separate male and female flowers on each individual plant. Small, white, creamy or pink blossoms appear at the end of May and the beginning of June. Berries ripen from mid August to mid September.
Schisandra is a frost hardy plant sustaining temperatures down to -30oC and sometimes even down to -40oC. It can be grown up fences, walls, on pergolas and the special T-shaped supports, similarly to actinidias. It requires fertile and moist, but not damp soils. It performs best in full sun. Magnolia vine can be planted all year round, it's important to put it carefully to a large pit, provide good drainage and lay the bottom with manure, analogically as when planting clematis.
During the first 2-3 years it's best left to grow unrestrained. Afterwards you should choose between 1 and 3 the strongest stems and tie them up to a support to make them grow vertically. The stems will twine round the support. Every year in early spring, before the beginning of a growing season prune the plants removing all weak and ill shoots and cut last year stems above the 12th-15th well developed bud. Remember to water regularly and abundantly as schisandra doesn't tolerate drought. Start fertilizing it in the second year after planting. A correctly trained plant will start bearing fruit in the fourth-sixth year after planting. One bush will yield from 1 to 5 kilos of berries.
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