PlantFiles: Sausage Vine
Holboellia coriacea

acquired this plantwhen I was doing a "boutique nursery" for a local hardware store--sought out all sorts of uncommon plants as well as "tried&true. Took a long time to find much out about it with the referances I had. BUT it still survives in dry shade at the foot of a Western red cedar. Redmond is probably zone 7. It is somewhat sheltered in its place. It is growing SLOWLY. It is growing on a bright northfacing fence and gets almost no supplemental water. Every so often I take a gallon jug of water with a pinhole in it to drip on it. Based on its fruit I have always considered it akin to the akebia. I note in some referances it is called "China Blue" vine. I had always seen ampelopsis refered to as that common name---based on that kid's blue berries and variegated foliage.
I planted the vine in native soil and have not yet fertilized it. After maybe 8 years (or more) it is twining above the
4 foot fence with a couple of tendrils aiming toward the light. My conclusion is that it is a REALLY TOUGH CHARACTER! Obviously mine has not yet fruited.
cphCharlotte