Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Food- The fruits are edible, providing a rich source of vitamin C and dietary fiber.
China
It grows in mountain forests, sparse secondary forests, tall grassy thickets on low mountains at altitudes of 200-2600 m asl.
Originally known as Chinese Gooseberry before being rebranded as Kiwi after a strain from New Zealand rose to popularity
A vigorous, dioecious woody vine, it can reach heights of 6-10 m with proper support.
Branchlets are reddish, marked with paler oblong lenticels. Young branchlets are initially white-pubescent, maturing to brownish-strigose or densely covered in rusty brown, stiff bristles (hispid-setose). The inner pith is whitish to brown, large, and layered (lamellate).
Leaves are broad and papery, light green below and darker green above. Leaves are oval to round, measuring 6-17 cm long and 7-15 cm wide. Young leaf stalks start with fine hairs, maturing to brown or developing stiff bristles. The underside has star-shaped hairs, while the top is typically smooth, with rare cases of rough hairs. A network of veins crisscrosses the leaf with 5-8 side pairs branching out. The base can be rounded, straight, or heart-shaped, and the edges have small sawtooth projections. The tip can be flat, notched, or pointed.
It bears clusters of 1-3 orange-yellow flowers. Soft white hairs cradle young clusters, turning yellowish-brown and velvety with age. Each bloom sits on a short stalk, guarded by 3-5 (sometimes more) leafy green sepals covered in tiny hairs. Broad, rounded petals (3-5, rarely 7) unfurl up to 2 cm wide. Inside, yellow stamens and a hairy ovary await pollination.
Fruit starts densely hairy (tomentose) when young, transforming as it matures. The final form, 4-6 cm long, varies in shape from slightly round to cylindrical or oval. Mature skin can be hairless (glabrous) or develop stiff bristles (hispid), with numerous brown spots (lenticels). The leafy bits (sepals) at the base persist and curl outwards.
Flowering: April – May
Fruiting: September