rufa kiwi / shima-sarunashi

Photo: Jacy Chen — 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.

Small, hairless-skinned fruit, harvested locally in Japan rather than grown as a major crop in its own right; its real horticultural value today is as breeding stock, both for low-chill adaptability to warm climates and for its natural resistance to bacterial canker — a disease that devastates commercial orchards elsewhere in the genus.

Hardiness

Zone 7–9

Habit

Vine

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Autumn

Mature size

Vine 10–15 m; strong trellis

Light

Full sun for best ripening in a sunny, wind-sheltered site; tolerates semi-shade. Notably low-chill for the genus — needs only around 200 chill hours below 7°C, versus 600–800+ for A. deliciosa, reflecting its warm-coastal origin.

Soil pH

5.0–6.5 (slightly acid)

Environment

Coastal warm-temperate

Native range

Southwestern South Korean islands, Ryukyu Islands, southern/south-central Japan (Pacific coast), to Taiwan

Status

Both wild and cultivated

Years to fruit

3–5 yrs

Growth speed

Fast — a large, vigorous climber to 12 m, capable of reaching the tops of tall trees.

Spacing

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

Leaf shape

Broadly ovate to nearly round, 4–16 cm, papery, shallow toothed margins with reddish glandular tips.

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

Oblong to ovoid fruit, 1.5–2.5 cm, smooth skin with inconspicuous pores; small seeds eaten with the fruit — color and taste aren't documented.

Propagation

Seed — sow ripe seed in autumn in a cold frame, or in spring under glass; germinates in 2–3 months at 10°C.

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.