large-seeded kiwi

Photo: Sun Jiao — CC BY 4.0 · source

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.

⚠ Not a dessert kiwi — round fruit ripens bright orange but is bitter and pungent to humans; grown for ornamental, wildlife and traditional-medicine value rather than as a fruit crop. Strongly cat-attractive — called 'cat ginseng' (猫人参) in Chinese, and chemical analysis has identified specific catnip-response compounds in its essential oil.

Hardiness

Zone 7–9

Habit

Vine

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Late Aug–Oct

Mature size

Vine 2–5 m — among the smallest kiwis; strong trellis. Container short-term only

Light

Full sun to partial

Soil pH

5.0–6.5 (slightly acid)

Environment

Temperate

Native range

Eastern China — Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei; damp mixed-forest habitat

Status

Wild

Years to fruit

3–5 yrs

Growth speed

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

Spacing

350 cm (138 in) apart — about 12 m² (132 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Ovate to elliptic, 3–8 cm, membranous when young becoming leathery at maturity, toothed margins fading to nearly entire with age.

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

Small orange fruit, 3–3.5 cm, hairless skin with a small beak-like tip; despite the bright color, the flesh is described as bitter and pungent — not palatable fresh, though not toxic.

Propagation

Semi-ripe or softwood cuttings under mist, or grafting for named cultivars. Seed germinates readily but is close to useless for a crop: sex is not visible until the vine first flowers, several years on, so a seedling batch is a lottery of males and females.

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.