Akebia is a genus of five species of flowering plant, within the family Lardizabalaceae. The scientific name, akebia, is a Latinization of the Japanese name for the species Akebia quinata: akebi (通草).

Joseph Decaisne was a French botanist and agronomist. He became an aide-naturaliste to Adrien-Henri de Jussieu (1797-1853), who served as the chair of rural botany. It was during this time that he began to study plants brought back by various travelers like those of Victor Jacquemont (1801-1832) from Asia. Decaisne used applied research, most notably on the agronomy of the madder, the yam and the ramie. He was also interested in algae.