HarvestingIn June, July, August and SeptemberClip jiaogulan tea vines
Pinch tender vine tips regularly and dry leaves in shade. Frequent harvest keeps the fast vine bushy and supplies tea.
Jiaogulan
Gynostemma pentaphyllum
Family Cucurbitaceae
Jiaogulan tastes sweet straight off the vine — a fast-scrambling cucumber cousin whose leaves dry into the caffeine-free sweet tea prized in southern China, picked again and again from summer to frost. One plant on a small trellis keeps a tea drawer stocked.
Happiest in part shade with steady moisture, it takes handsomely to hanging baskets and patio pots, coming indoors to wait out winter where frosts run cold. Herbal-tea traditions credit it generously; check interactions if you take daily medications. An easy, generous plant for the tea-curious grower.
Part Shade
Moderate water
Fast growth
Needs a pollination partner
From the print shop
Growing jiaogulan? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries jiaogulan — Gynostemma pentaphyllum, print Nº 253, “Jiaogulan.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
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Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what jiaogulan actually needs.
Life cyclePerennial zones 8–11, annual elsewherePollinationPartner neededJiaogulan · Common problems
Common jiaogulan problems
Pests, diseases and weather to keep an eye on.
Pests
2 problems on file
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Root Rot in cold wet soil
Pollination
Poor pollination → low fruit set (plant a partner)
Jiaogulan · Growing & propagation
Growing jiaogulan
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
What it needsThe details
- Light
- Part Shade
- Water
- Moderate-High - keep evenly moist
Soil- Rich, moist, well-drained · pH 6.0 - 7.5
Fertilizer- Compost lightly during active growth
Pruning- Anytime during growth
Pinch and harvest vines to keep bushy; overwinter indoors in cold zones.
Spacing- 12-18 in
Trellis or hanging basket
Jiaogulan · Seasonal care & spray guidance
The jiaogulan growing playbook
Field-tested instructions for every job jiaogulan asks of you, compiled from university extension guidance — in the order the season brings them.
When to spray jiaogulan
Growing season. Avoid soggy cold soil; rinse mites off early.
Through summer
the growing season
1 jobHarvestingIn June, July, August and SeptemberJiaogulan · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Calculators for the figures. Field guides for the hands-on work.
Jiaogulan · Yearly calendar
The jiaogulan year, month by month
What jiaogulan asks for, month by month.
Jan
PruneJanuary to December
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
BloomPruneHarvestBloomJune to August
PruneJanuary to December
HarvestJune to August
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
- Harvest — picking time — check ripeness every few days.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Jiaogulan · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum
Jiaogulan in the garden system
- Vine layer vine
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What jiaogulan is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesCaution: medicinal tea; may interact with diabetes, blood-pressure, blood-thinning, or immune medications
- Use
- Sweet herbal tea
- Use
- Shade trellis
- Use
- Patio herb
- Use
- Indoor overwintering
- Edible value
- 3/5
Traditional use rating- 4/5 in herbal tradition
Harvesting & storing jiaogulan
Leaves from summer to frost; dry for sweet herbal tea.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Jiaogulan · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a jiaogulan variety
Match the plant to your climate, season and available space.
Species; 5-leaf and 7-leaf strains
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Jiaogulan
Gynostemma pentaphyllum
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Gynostemma pentaphyllum
- Plant family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Growth habit
- Vine · Tender Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- Invasive risk
- Low
- Other names
- Gynostemma pentaphyllum (sweet tea vine)
Every garden is different.
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Explore Jiaogulan’s sources2 reference links
for Jiaogulan
for Jiaogulan
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Jiaogulan questions, answered straight.
Why isn't my jiaogulan fruiting?
Most often: it has no genetically distinct partner nearby. Jiaogulan can't pollinate itself — dioecious; leaves are the main harvest. Plant a second, unrelated one nearby; two different cultivars, or a cultivar plus a seedling, is the classic pairing.
Is jiaogulan safe for kids and pets?
With care. Caution: medicinal tea; may interact with diabetes, blood-pressure, blood-thinning, or immune medications Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
When do you harvest jiaogulan?
Leaves from summer to frost; dry for sweet herbal tea.
Elsewhere
Where jiaogulan sits in the library.
Hops
Comfrey
Lavender
Rosemary