Flora of New Zealand Series

kiwifruit

Vigorous, dioecious, densely hairy liane. Shoots with shaggy, reddish, simple hairs when young; pith lamellate. Petioles reddish tomentose, very variable in length but usually < lamina. Lamina to c. 14 × 14 cm (sometimes more in cultivation), suborbicular to broadly ovate, with tomentum of whitish stellate hairs beneath, also with simple scattered reddish hairs, mainly on veins, becoming glabrous or glabrate above; margins denticulate or ciliate; base cordate or subcordate. Cymes of 1 or several fls. Sepals 1.2-1.5 cm long, ovate, brown-tomentose. Petals 1.5-3 cm long, larger in ♀ than ♂ fls, suborbicular to broadly ellipsoid, white. Ovary brown-tomentose; styles 7-8 mm long. Fr. 4-8-(10) × 3-4 cm, ellipsoid to oblong, brown-tomentose; pulp green. Seed black, alveolate.

N.: an occasional escape from cultivation, N. Auckland, Auckland City, Huntly (Waikato), Bay of Plenty; S.: Akaroa (Banks Peninsula).

S. China 1982

Roadside scrub, secondary forest.

FL Oct-Dec.

♂ and ♀ fls are illustrated in Fig. 8. There is considerable variation in the floral and fruiting characters of the different cvs of this popular fr. The above description has been drawn up partly with the aid of cultivated material and wild plants may be less variable. Its long-standing common name of Chinese gooseberry has been replaced in recent years by kiwifruit or kiwi berry. Until recently it has been known as A. chinensis Planch.