Overview
Actinidia ()[1] is a genus of woody and, with few exceptions, dioecious plants native to temperate eastern Asia, occurring throughout most of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and extending north to southeast Siberia and south into Indochina. The genus includes shrubs growing to 6 m tall, and vigorous, strong-growing vines, growing up to 30 m in tree canopies.
The leaves are alternate, simple, with a dentate margin and a long petiole. The flowers are solitary or in axillary cymes, usually white, with five small petals. Most of the species are dioecious with separate male and female plants, but some are monoecious. The fruit is a large berry containing numerous small seeds; in most species the fruit is edible. In particular this genus is known for the species Actinidia deliciosa, the kiwifruit, and for the hardy A. kolomikta of gardens.
Species
There are about 40?60 species of Actinidia:
Uses
For the edible fruit, see Kiwifruit, which is a Cultivar Group of Actinidia deliciosa, and Hardy Kiwi, of the species Actinidia arguta. Some species are grown as ornamental plants, notably A. kolomikta.
Actinidia arguta has small fruit 10?15 g, with green edible skins and green flesh; hardier than A. deliciosa.
In Japan, Actinidia polygama (silver vine) is noted for having an effect on cats much like that of catnip. It is mentioned in the saying ???????????? (neko ni matatabi, joro ni koban, "Silver vine to a cat, a coin to a prostitute"), meaning to put someone in a good mood by providing that which they most desire.
Actinidia kolomikta is the hardiest species (to about -40?C), and has distinctive white- and pink-variegated foliage even on wild plants, an unusual phenomenon. Its fruit is very small, 8 g or smaller.
, oc curring throughout most of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and extending north to southeast Siberia and south into Indochina. The genus includes shrubs growing to 6 m tall, and vigorous, strong-growing vines, growing up to 30 m in tree canopies.The leaves are alternate, simple, with a dentate margin and a long petiole. The flowers are solitary or in axillary cymes, usually white, with five small petals. Most of the species are dioecious with separate male and female plants, but some are monoecious. The fruit is a large berry containing numerous small seeds; in most species the fruit is edible. In particular this genus is known for the species Actinidia deliciosa, the kiwifruit, and for the hardy A. kolomikta of gardens.
Species
There are about 40?60 species of Actinidia:
Uses
For the edible fruit, see Kiwifruit, which is a Cultivar Group of Actinidia deliciosa, and Hardy Kiwi, of the species Actinidia arguta. Some species are grown as ornamental plants, notably A. kolomikta.
Actinidia arguta has small fruit 10?15 g, with green edible skins and green flesh; hardier than A. deliciosa.
In Japan, Actinidia polygama (silver vine) is noted for having an effect on cats much like that of catnip. It is mentioned in the saying ???????????? (neko ni matatabi, joro ni koban, "Silver vine to a cat, a coin to a prostitute"), meaning to put someone in a good mood by providing that which they most desire.
Actinidia kolomikta is the hardiest species (to about -40?C), and has distinctive white- and pink-variegated foliage even on wild plants, an unusual phenomenon. Its fruit is very small, 8 g or smaller.
Notes
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606?607
External links
- Images : Actinidia kolomikta (Maxim. et Rupr.) Maxim. - Flavon's Secret Flower Garden
Taxonomy
The Genus Actinidia is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 260 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in the Genus Actinidia: A. 'BelĂ©n' · A. 'Boerica' · A. 'Boverlig 02' · A. 'Convi' · A. 'Hort16a' · A. 'Hortgem Rua' · A. 'Hortgem Wha' · A. 'Jintao' · A. 'Ken's Red' (Hardy Kiwi) · A. 'Maria' · A. 'Summer 3373' · A. 'Summer 4605' · A. 'Summerfaenza' · A. 'T 1910' · A. 'Tomua' · A. acuminata · A. aff. strigosa · A. albicalyx · A. ananasnaja · A. arguta (Red-Fleshed Actinidia Fruit) · A. arguta 'Ananasnaja' (Hardy Kiwi) · A. arguta 'Ananasnaya' · A. arguta 'Chico' (Hardy Kiwi) · A. arguta 'Dumbarton Oaks' (Hardy Kiwi) · A. arguta 'Geneva 2' · A. arguta 'Geneva' · A. arguta 'Geneva' HHII · A. arguta 'Issai' (Hardy Kiwi Vine (Self Fertile Female)) · A. arguta 'Jumbo' · A. arguta 'Ken's Red' · A. arguta 'Kiwai Vert' · A. arguta 'Meader No 2' · A. arguta 'Meader' · A. arguta 'Michigan State' · A. arguta 'MSU' · A. arguta 'Stamford' · A. arguta 'Weiki' · A. arguta 74-32 · A. arguta f. platyphylla · A. arguta LL #1 · A. arguta LL#2 · A. arguta LL#3 · A. arguta var. arguta · A. arguta var. cordifolia · A. arguta var. cordifolia 'Meyer's' (Kiwi) · A. arguta var. erythrocarpa · A. arguta var. giraldii · A. arguta var. nervosa · A. arguta var. platyphylla · A. arguta var. purpurea (Purple Chinese Gooseberry) · A. arguta var. rufa (Rufa Vine) · A. arisanensis · A. asymmetrica · A. callosa henryi · A. callosa var. acuminata · A. callosa var. callosa · A. callosa var. discolor · A. callosa var. ephippioidea · A. callosa var. formosana · A. callosa var. henryi · A. callosa var. pubescens · A. callosa var. pubiramula · A. callosa var. strigillosa · A. carnosifolia · A. carnosifolia var. glaucescens · A. championi · A. championii · A. changii · A. chartacea · A. chengkouensis · A. chinensis (Yellow-Fleshed Actinidia) · A. chinensis 'Hayward' (Chinese Gooseberry) · A. chinensis 'Hort22D' (Kiwi Fruit 'hort22d') · A. chinensis 'Saanichton 12' (Chinese Gooseberry) · A. chinensis 'Y118' (Kiwi Fruit 'y118') · A. chinensis ambig. · A. chinensis f. chlorocarpa · A. chinensis f. jinggangshanensis · A. chinensis f. longipila · A. chinensis f. rufopulpa · A. chinensis var. chinensis · A. chinensis var. hispida · A. chinensis var. jinggangshanensis · A. chinensis var. rufopulpa (Red-Fleshed Actinidia) · A. chinensis var. setosa · A. chrysantha · A. cinerascens · A. cinerascens var. longipetiolata · A. cinerascens var. tenuifolia · A. cordifolia · A. coriacea · A. curvidens · A. cylindrica · A. cylindrica f. obtusifolia · A. cylindrica var. reticulata · A. davidii · A. deliciosa (Green-Fleshed Actinidia) · A. deliciosa 'Abbott' · A. deliciosa 'Atlas' · A. deliciosa 'Au Authur' (Kiwi Fruit 'au Authur') · A. deliciosa 'Blake' · A. deliciosa 'Boskoop' · A. deliciosa 'Bruno' · A. deliciosa 'Buitenpost' · A. deliciosa 'Hayward' · A. deliciosa 'Jenny' · A. deliciosa 'Matua' · A. deliciosa 'Renact' · A. deliciosa 'Saanichton 12' · A. deliciosa 'Skelton A16' (Kiwi Fruit 'skelton A16') · A. deliciosa 'Solo' · A. deliciosa 'Tomuri' · A. deliciosa 'Tsechelidis' (Kiwi Fruit 'tsechelidis') · A. deliciosa 'Vincent' · A. deliciosa hermaphrodite · A. deliciosa Solissimo = 'Renact' · A. deliciosa var. chlorocarpa · A. deliciosa var. coloris (Red-Fleshed Actinidia) · A. deliciosa var. longipila · A. dielsii · A. eriantha (Velvet Vine) · A. eriantha f. alba · A. eriantha var. brunnea · A. eriantha var. calvescens · A. erythrocarpa · A. fairchildii · A. fanjingshanensis · A. farinosa · A. fasciculoides · A. fasciculoides var. cuneata · A. fasciculoides var. orbiculata · A. faveolata · A. formosana · A. fortunati · A. fulvicoma · A. fulvicoma f. arachnoidea · A. fulvicoma f. hirsuta · A. fulvicoma var. cinerascens · A. fulvicoma var. lanata · A. gagnepaini · A. gagnepainii · A. giraldii · A. glabra · A. glauco-callosa · A. glaucocallosa · A. glaucophylla · A. glaucophylla var. asymmetrica · A. glaucophylla var. robusta · A. glaucophylla var. rotunda · A. globosa · A. gnaphalocarpa · A. gracilis · A. grandiflora · A. guilinensis · A. hemsleyana (Long-Leaved Actinidia Vine) · A. hemsleyana var. kengiana · A. henanensis · A. henryi · A. henryi var. glabricaulis · A. holotricha · A. hubeiensis · A. hypoglauca · A. hypoleuca · A. indochinensis · A. indochinensis var. ovatifolia · A. inflammans · A. japonica · A. jiankouensis · A. kengiana · A. kiusiana · A. kolomicta · A. kolomikta (Variegated Actinidia) · A. kolomikta 'Arctic Beauty' · A. kolomikta 'Krupnoplodnaja' · A. kolomikta 'Red Beauty' · A. kolomikta 'September Sun' · A. kolomikta 'Tomoko' · A. kolomikta 'Yazuaki' · A. kolomikta var. sugawarana · A. kolomitka · A. kungshanensis · A. kwangsiensis · A. laevissima · A. laevissima var. floscula · A. lanceolata · A. lecomtei · A. leptophylla · A. liangguangensis · A. lijiangensis · A. linguiensis · A. longicarpa · A. longicauda · A. lutea · A. macrosperma (Orange-Fleshed Actinidia) · A. macrosperma var. mumoides · A. maloides · A. maloides f. cordata · A. megalocarpa · A. melanandra · A. melanandra var. cretacea · A. melanandra var. glabrescens · A. melanandra var. kwangsiensis · A. melanandra var. subconcolor · A. melandra · A. melliana · A. miquelii · A. obovata · A. oregonensis · A. pachyphylla · A. persicina · A. petelotii · A. pilosula (Ornamental Actinidia) · A. pilosula misapplied · A. platyphylla · A. polygama (Silvervine (Usa)) · A. pubescens · A. purpurea · A. rankanensis · A. remoganensis · A. repanda · A. rongshuiensis · A. rubricaulis (Red-Stem Actinidia) · A. rubricaulis var. coriacea (Chinese Egg Gooseberry) · A. rubus · A. rudis · A. rudis var. glabricaulis · A. rufa · A. rufotricha · A. rufotricha var. glomerata · A. sabiaefolia · A. sabiifolia · A. setosa · A. sorbifolia · A. stellatopilosa · A. strigosa · A. styracifolia · A. suberifolia · A. subglaucifolia · A. suifunensis · A. tetramera var. badongensis · A. tetramera var. maloides · A. tonkinensis · A. trichogyna · A. truncatifolia · A. ulmifolia · A. umbelloides · A. umbelloides var. flabellifolia · A. valvata · A. valvata var. boehmeriifolia · A. valvata var. longipedicellata · A. venosa · A. viridiflava · A. volubilis · A. wantianensis · A. × fairchildii · A. zhejiangensis
Footnotes
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606?607
Sources
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