Roy: This is a strange-looking vine, with fingered leaves, and maroon flowers with cup-shaped stamens in a little tassel. The male and female flowers are borne separately but on the same vine. It's often said that they need a very good summer to produce fruits, and to encourage insect pollination. But I think it's more important to have more than one plant from a different source, and multiply your chances to get cross-pollination between the two kinds, then you're more likely to get fruits. But I've never seen them borne in quantity, these large squishy fruits, like big purple sausages. Extraordinary-looking things. I bet Bob's grown them!

Bob: I haven't ever eaten them, but I grow them. It's a wonderful climber, very vigorous, grows fifteen, twenty feet up a tree, and flowers in March and April. Really gorgeous scent, but the flowers come in two sizes. As Roy says, it's a problem of pollination. I've got one plant and it's never set any fruits. Apparently they are edible these sausages, you suck the pulp out and it's sweet and delicious. I'd love to see one form. I think it's from Japan originally.