Schisandra rubriflora

RHS Plant Profile
Chinese magnolia vine

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Chinese magnolia vine RHS

Synonyms

Schisandra grandiflora 'Rubriflora'
Schisandra grandiflora 'Rubra'
Schisandra grandiflora var. rubriflora

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A climbing, deciduous shrub, twining to 8m. Leaves are lanceolate, smooth and rather leathery, mid-green, sometimes with reddish new shoots. Flowers are unisexual, but sometimes borne on one plant, so can be self-fertile. They are borne singly in the leaf axils of new shoots, and are cup-shaped, to 3cm across, deep crimson, on pendulous red stalks to 4cm long, in June. The closely-set, pea-sized, bright red berries are borne on dangling spikes to 12.5cm

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

8-12 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
8-12 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Schisandraceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Climbing
Genus
Schisandra are deciduous or evergreen, monoecious or dioecious, twining shrubs. Leaves are alternate on slender stalks. Flowers are solitary or in small clusters, borne in the leaf axils, and sepals and petals are indistinguishable. In female flowers the carpels are densely packed into a head, but as they ripen they elongate, eventually forming a spike several inches long
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
India to W China

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame as soon as ripe. Propagate by softwood cuttings (greenwood) in early or mid-summer or semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Hedging and screens
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 12 in early spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free