What Is Yuzhizi (Bayuezha)? A Detailed Guide to Growing It

Yuzhizi is a wild fruit from rural areas, looking a bit like a banana. It usually ripens in the eighth month of the lunar calendar and splits open once ripe, so it is also called bayuezha/bayueza. It can be eaten as a fruit or used as medicine; its taste is so-so and it does not keep well. So, what is yuzhizi? How do you grow it?

I. What is yuzhizi?

1. Yuzhizi is the fruit of plants in the Lardizabalaceae family: Akebia quinata, Akebia trifoliata and Akebia trifoliata var. australis. It is also called bayuezha, bayuegua, bayueza and yajingzi. The fruit ripens from August to September. The fruit is kidney-shaped or long-oval, with a yellow-brown or black-brown surface, and the flesh is pale yellow or yellow-brown.

2. The yuzhizi plant is a deciduous woody vine. Its leaflets are ovate, broadly ovate or long-ovate, with shallowly lobed or wavy edges. The flowering period is April to May, with unisexual flowers: male flowers grow on the upper part, while female flowers are purple-red. The fruit ripens in August; the fruit is fleshy and long-ovate, and splits open along the ventral suture when ripe.

3. In China, yuzhizi is mainly distributed in Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and other provinces. It grows on hillsides, in shrub thickets or beside ditches. It is generally picked when the fruit ripens between August and September, and can be sun-dried or soaked thoroughly in boiling water and then sun-dried for medicinal use.

4. Yuzhizi has a faint fragrance and a bitter taste, and is cold in nature. It has the effects of soothing the liver and regulating qi, invigorating blood and relieving pain, dispersing nodules, and promoting urination. It is used for distending pain in the epigastrium and hypochondrium, dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea, phlegm nodules and abdominal masses, and difficult urination. Its seeds are toxic; its stem is a commonly used Chinese medicine, and poisoning occasionally occurs.

II. How do you grow yuzhizi?

1. Propagation: seeds, layering, root division and cuttings, four methods in total.

Yuzhizi can be propagated by four methods: seeds, layering, root division and cuttings. If propagating by seed, keep the seeds after the fruit ripens in August-September, first rub and wash them with alkaline water, then rinse them clean with clear water, drain off the water and sow them promptly in autumn. If propagating by layering, it can be done in all four seasons; select 1- to 2-year-old branches and vines and bury them in the soil, and they will root after 1 month. If propagating by root division, it can be done before budding in early spring; divide a clump containing several yuzhizi plants into several plants by hand from the roots and transplant them. If propagating by cuttings, it can be done in all four seasons; select vigorous 1- to 2-year-old branches and vines free of pests and diseases, cut them into 10 cm-long cuttings, soak the branches and vines in rooting powder and then insert the cuttings, raising the survival rate to 100%.

2. Soil: sufficient nutrients, rich in humus or organic matter.

Yuzhizi likes light but avoids strong light and is not cold-tolerant. The plot must be chosen on a shady slope with plenty of sunlight and convenient drainage and irrigation. It is a shallow-rooted tree species, so soil that is rich in nutrients and contains plenty of humus or organic matter should be chosen, with a soil pH from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. After choosing the plot, dig the soil deeply to at least about 20 cm, apply plenty of barnyard manure or compost, then dig and level the land again and mix the soil and fertilizer evenly.

3. Planting: after breaking up and raking the soil smooth, make raised beds and then plant.

Yuzhizi has four propagation methods. Seedlings raised from seed bear fruit late, generally only after 3 years. Those from layering can bloom and bear fruit in the second year, those from root division can bear fruit in the same year, and those from cuttings bear fruit in 2-3 years. Therefore, root division is the better choice. Before transplanting, break up and rake the soil smooth, make raised beds about 1.5 m wide, and then plant the saplings in them.

4. Management: watering, fertilizing and pest and disease prevention.

Water yuzhizi one week after planting. During the growing period, pay attention to weeding, and when new branches grow, set up trellises and tie the vines to them. When the base fertilizer is sufficient, topdressing is rarely needed; if topdressing is needed, mainly use farmyard manure, apply it frequently and lightly, and do not apply nitrogen fertilizer alone. Pests and diseases should be prevented. So far, only a small amount of mite damage to tender leaves has been found, which can be controlled by spraying water in which tobacco leaves have been boiled.

The above is an introduction to how to grow yuzhizi. I hope it is useful to everyone.