Schisandra chinensis, whose fruit is called schisandra, magnolia berry or five-flavor fruit, is a vine plant native to forests of Northern China, the Russian Far East, Korea, and Japan.[1][3][4] It is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8.[2] The fruits are red berries in dense clusters around 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long.[2][3]
Names
The 'five flavour' name comes from the fact that its berries possess five basic flavors: salty, sweet, sour, pungent (spicy), and bitter.[5][6] Sometimes, it is more specifically called běi wǔwèizi (北五味子; 'northern five-flavor berry') to distinguish it from another schisandraceous plant, Kadsura japonica, that grows only in subtropical areas.[2] Another species of schisandra berry, Schisandra sphenanthera, has a similar but different biochemical profile. The Chinese Pharmacopeia distinguishes between S. chinensis and S. sphenanthera (南五味子; nán wǔwèizi; 'southern five-flavor berry').[4]