Species

Actinidia deliciosa

Etymology

Actinidia: From the Greek aktis 'ray' or 'star', referring to the star-like flowers or rayed stigmas of the female blooms

Common Name(s)

kiwifruit

Family

Actinidiaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

ACTCHI

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Lianes and Related Trailing Plants

Habitat

Terrestrial.

Features

Vigorous, dioecious, densely hairy vine. Shoots have shaggy, reddish, simple hairs when young. Petioles reddish tomentos, very variable in length but usually less than lamina. Lamina to about 14 X 14 cm, broadly ovate, with tomentum of whitish hairs beneath, also with simple scattered reddish hairs but becoming almost hairless above, margins denticulate or ciliate. White flowers to about 6 cm across (larger on female than male plants). Fruit 4-8 x 3-4 cm, brown and hairy with green flesh and numerous small black seeds.

Similar Taxa

Quite similar to A. chinensis, is easily identified by the distinctive coat of red hairs on young shoots.

Flowering

October, November, December

Flower Colours

White

Year Naturalised

1982

Origin

S. China

Reason For Introduction
Agricultural

Life Cycle Comments
Perennial.

This page last updated on 18 Jan 2010