You may have seen this fruit circulating around social media circles – a purple eggplant-like fruit that splits to reveal a bizarre banana-shaped flesh? What could it be? Is it a real fruit or is it *gasp* a total fabrication created by AI? In case you’re wondering, it’s real, and it’s called an August Melon. Its peculiarly-coloured skin that shifts between purple and magenta give it the air of a fruit that’s trying very hard to look important. Exotic, a little weird, and undeniably delicious, the August Melon is the quirky cousin of the fruit world that you’ll never forget.
Behold the August Melon
This oddball of a fruit hails from the Akebia quinata, more charmingly known as the chocolate vine. Native to East Asia, it has an adventurous streak, climbing its way into gardens in the US and parts of Europe as an ornamental plant. Back home, though, it prefers to lounge near forest edges or scale mountainous slopes like a natural-born explorer. However, there are different species of Akebia, but the most common is the Akebia quinata, which produces the distinctive purple fruit often associated with the genus.
This climbing evergreen shrub can soar over 30 feet tall if given the chance. Its name, Akebia, is borrowed from the Japanese word for “twining,” while quinata is Latin for “five,” a nod to its fancy five-parted compound leaves. And why the nickname “chocolate vine,” you ask? Well, its flowers have a scent that’s apparently trying to outdo dessert. But in China and Japan, it’s better known as the August Melon, thanks to its quirky-shaped fruits that ripen and crack open like clockwork every August.
The melon actually ripens in August, hence its name, and when it’s ripe, it doesn’t just sit there—it splits open on its own (hence the term “August explosion”), revealing a soft, white banana-shaped pulp dotted with seeds. Since it looks like a banana, its flavour is described as being similar to a banana – but with a lot of juice. The seeds are bitter enough to make your tongue question its life choices; most people either spit them out or swallow them whole and hope for the best. The fruit, on the other hand, is perfect for turning into jams, jellies, drinks, or even sneaking into smoothies and ice creams for a quirky flavor boost.
It’s also known as the August Fried Fruit (八月瓜 or 八月炸 in Chinese), native to the forests of Zhangjiajie in China, and loves hanging out in the foothills and forest edges of spots like Suoxi, Yangjiajie, and Tianzi Mountain.
In Japan, the August Melon is called “Akebi” (アケビ), which grows in the mountains in the northern Tohoku region. Yamagata Prefecture now produces the bulk of Japan’s chocolate vine. Once foraged from the mountains, it’s now cultivated in specialised towns, with high-quality vines shipped nationwide. The sweet pulp is a seasonal delicacy in Japan, while the slightly bitter rind is often stuffed with meat and deep-fried. Akebi is more than just a snack; it’s an autumn icon in Japan, celebrated for its oddball charm and versatility on the plate.
Packed with sugar, vitamin C, and 12 amino acids (including a few the human body can’t DIY, like methionine and lysine), it’s as nutritious as it is peculiar. The fruit is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat urinary tract infections, scanty lactation, and rheumatoid arthritis. Meanwhile, dried rinds of the fruit have played a role in Japanese fertility festivals, likely due to their… shape, which is believed to symbolise female fertility.
Its lookalike cousin
As unique as this plant is, it’s not alone. There’s another plant species that’s native to the Himalayan Mountains of Southeast Asia that also produces purple sausage-shaped edible fruits. This one is known as the “sausage vine,” or Stauntonia Latifolia. Like the Akebia quinata, it also boasts fragrant flowers, but it has a melon-flavoured fruit.
The reason why the chocolate vine and the sausage vine look familiar is because they both sit in a family called the Lardizabalaceae. However, there’s another species under the same family called the Decaisnea fargesii which, like its two cousins, boasts purple fruits with white flesh. However, its fruits are long, purple, and grow in a bunch, hence its nickname “dead men’s fingers.”
Fancy planting your own?
If you’re wondering if you could get your hands on your very own purple mystery fruit, you may not need to travel to China or Japan for them. Turns out, the seeds are available for sale at many online shops like Shopee or Lazada. Even if you aren’t going to eat the fruit, the chocolate vine also produces pretty, fragrant flowers.
Since it’s a climbing plant, the chocolate vine is better planted outdoors, and it’s a pretty slow-growing plant, taking up to 3 years to be bushy.
In the end, the August Melon is much more than just a peculiar fruit. With its vibrant colour and dramatic, self-splitting reveal, it’s become social media sensation, leaving viewers in awe (and confusion). Whether you’re savouring its delicate flavours, experimenting with growing this in your home garden, or simply marvelling at its oddball charm, it’s a reminder of nature’s endless creativity—and its knack for keeping us intrigued, one quirky fruit at a time.
