Hemsley's kiwi

Survives zone 7 through 9

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

⚠ One of the rarer, endangered Actinidia species in China, grown by specialist collectors mainly for its ornamental reddish, bristly stems and foliage rather than as a fruiting crop — cylindrical fruit to 2.7 cm, hairless when fully ripe, but flavour and cropping quality are poorly documented.

Hardiness

Zone 7–9

Habit

Vine

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Late Aug–Oct

Mature size

Vine 5–8 m; strong trellis. Container short-term only

Light

Full sun to partial

Soil pH

5.0–6.5 (slightly acid)

Environment

Montane

Native range

Eastern China (two varieties recognized: var. hemsleyana and var. kengiana)

Status

Wild — rare/endangered in native habitat

Years to fruit

3–5 yrs

Growth speed

Very fast — several metres of new growth a season on an established vine

Spacing

400 cm (157 in) apart — about 16 m² (172 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Oblong-lanceolate to obovate, 8–22 cm long, papery, margins from nearly entire to coarsely toothed; brownish down along the veins beneath.

Root system

Thick, fleshy and shallow, densest in the top 30–60 cm and spreading sideways rather than down. This is the plant's weak point: fleshy roots plus a very high transpiration rate make it exceptionally intolerant of waterlogging, and saturated soil is exactly what Phytophthora crown and root rot needs. Plant on a slope or a raised bed, never in a hollow.

Fruit description

Cylindrical, roughly 2.7–3 cm long, hairless skin with visible pores when fully ripe; small seeds eaten with the flesh — color and taste aren't documented.

Propagation

Seed — most seedlings turn out male, so more need raising than usual to find a fruiting female.

Pollination

DIOECIOUS — needs male and female plants

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.