Actinidia deliciosa
Kiwi Fruit
a member of the Actinidia genus in the family Actinidiaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Actinidiaceae
- Genus
- Actinidia
- Foliage
- deciduous
- Growth rate
- moderate
- Height
- 9 m
- Fertility
- self sterile
- Flower type
- dioecious
- Pollinators
- Bees, Insects
Uses
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked. A delicious flavour[1][13][19][3][2], the fruit can be up to 8cm long, it is very juicy when fully ripe and has a refreshing, acid flavour[K]. It contains a number of small seeds, but these are easily eaten with the fruit[K]. Rich in vitamin C[12]. Fresh fruits contain 100 - 420mg vitamin C per 100g and 8 - 14% carbohydrate[16]. Acidity is 1 - 2%, mainly citric acid[16]. The fruit ripens in November and can store for 3 - 4 months[6]. Yields of 8 - 30 tonnes per hectare are possible[16]. Leaves are a famine food[11].
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Product or use
- Survival
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
The fruits, stems and roots are diuretic, febrifuge and sedative[8]. They are used in the treatment of stones in the urinary tract, rheumatoid arthralgia, cancers of the liver and oesophagus[8].
- Product or use
- Diuretic
- Product or use
- Febrifuge
- Product or use
- Sedative
Material uses
Paper is made from the bark[10]. If the bark is removed in one piece from near the root and placed in hot ashes, it becomes very hard and can be used as a tube for a pencil[10].
- Plant part
- Bark
- Product or use
- Paper
- Plant part
- Bark
- Product or use
- Pencil
Ecology and functions
- Ecosystem niche
- Climber
Environment
- Range
- E. Asia - China
- Habitat
- Derived in cultivation from A. chinensis, it is not known in a truly wild situation.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 7+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[7]. It is probably best if the seed is given 3 months stratification[4], either sow it in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in November or as soon as it is received. Fresh seed germinates in 2 - 3 months at 10°c, stored seed can take longer[7]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When the plants are 30cm or more tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts[K]. Most seedlings are male[5]. The seedlings are subject to damping off, they must be kept well ventilated[4]. Cuttings of softwood as soon as ready in spring in a frame[K]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very high percentage[4]. Cuttings of ripe wood, October/November in a frame.
Cultivation
Prefers a sound loamy acid soil, it dislikes alkaline soils and becomes chlorotic at pH 6 or higher[3]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.5 to 7.3. Succeeds in semi-shade but full sun is best for fruit production[19][5][14]. Prefers a sheltered position[14]. Does well when grown into trees[K]. Plants requires a 6 - 8 month frost-free growing season[9][14]. They are hardy to about -12°c when fully dormant but young growth is very subject to damage by late frosts, being killed back at -2°c[9][14]. Plants also require a winter chilling of 600 - 1100 hours below 7°c and a long warm summer to ripen the fruit[14]. Plants fruit on second year wood or on fruit spurs produced on older wood[5], any pruning is best carried out in the winter[17]. The flowers are sweetly scented[18]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is widely cultivated in warm temperate zones for its edible fruit, there are many named varieties[12][14]. The fruit can store for up to 9 months at 0°c with a relative humidity of 90%, but under domestic conditions 4 - 6 weeks is optimal[14]. This is a rampant climbing plant, supporting itself by twining around branches etc[14]. Plants have been seen with very good crops of fruit at the Hillier Arboretum in Hampshire in several autumns. These plants had outgrown their planned supports and had climbed 15 metres into neighbouring trees. The main problem with them would be how to harvest the fruit[K]. The female 'Heywood' is the most commonly cultivated form in Britain (1993), its fruits store well but it tends to flower late and there can be problems with pollination[5]. The cultivar 'Blake' is said to be fast cropping and self-fertile[14]. The male 'Tomurii' is free-flowering and disease-resistant[15]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[14]. Plants are usually dioecious, but hermaphrodite forms are known. However, the fruit quality and yield of these hermaphrodite forms is usually inferior[3]. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed is required, one male to five or six females is normally adequate.
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009
? The Plantsman. Vol. 6. 1984 - 1985. Royal Horticultural Society 1984-00-00
Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.
Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987-00-00
? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7