Kiwifruit

The kiwifruit was first known as "Chinese Gooseberry". It got its new name from the kiwi bird, one of the national symbols of New Zealand.

The kiwi fruit is a fuzzy brown egg-shaped fruit with green flesh. This page provides some basic information on kiwifruits, together with photos, proverbs and a recipe.

Basic information on kiwifruit

Scientific name:	Actinidia deliciosa
English:	Kiwifruit
English:	Chinese gooseberry
English:	Vine pear
English:	Wood berry
Dutch:	Kiwi
Dutch:	Chinese kruisbes
Dutch:	Kiwi fruit
Spanish:	Kiwi
Spanish:	Actinidia
French:	Kiwi
German:	Kiwi
German:	Chinesische Stachelbeere
German:	Chinesischer Strahlengriffel
Italian:	Kiwi

Family:	Actinidiaceae
Order:	Ericales

Origin:	China
Distribution:	Main production of kiwi fruits is in: Italy, New Zealand, Chile, France, Greece, Japan, Iran, United States, Canada and Cambodia.
Evergreen or deciduous:
Flowers:	Individual kiwi plants are either male or female. Female plants bear fruits but only if the flowers were pollinated by a male plant.
Leaves:
Fruits:	Kiwi fruit is an edible berry with slightly tart green or golden fresh. The flesh contains with rows of small, black, edible seeds. The fruit has a fuzzy light brown skin and an oval egg shape. Fruits are 5-8 cm long and 4.5 to 5.5 cm in diameter. Kiwifruit is a rich source of vitamin C.
Climate and weather:	Kiwi fruits prefer a temperate climate with sufficient summer heat.
Pollination:	Pollination by bees. But many bees are needed as kiwi flowers are not very attractive for bees. Producers can artificially pollinate by collecting pollen from male flowers and blowing it over the female flowers.
Height:	Kiwi vines are commercially grown on sturdy support structures.
Crown size:
Blooming period
Type of soil:
Preferred pH:
Moisture:
Light:
Growth rate:
Spacing (close range)
Spacing (wide range)
Pruning:	Just like grapevines, kiwifruit vines require a lot of pruning.
Propagation:
Insect pests:
Diseases:
Fruit development:
Harvesting:
Uses:

Photos

Kiwifruit Thailand

Proverbs

Why did the kiwifruit go out with the prune? Because it couldn't get a date.

(Well, it's not really a proverb. Who know a real kiwi proverb?)

Quotes

Someone once threw me a small, brown, hairy kiwi fruit, and I threw a wastebasket over it until it was dead. (Erma Bombeck)
I don't go for the nouvelle approach-serving a rabbit rump with coffee extract sauce and a slice of kiwi fruit. (Jeff Smith)

Recipes

Kiwifruit

Please send me a kiwifruit recipe to add to this page.