Actinidia chinensis

Flower of kiwi ( Actinidia chinensis)

Actinidia chinensis is a woody liana species. German names are Chinese rays or stylus, according to the edible fruits, kiwi. With these two names but also other members of the genus of the rays are called stylus.

Description

Actinidia chinensis grows as a large vine. Young twigs are reddish colored with light lenticels. They are set with white hair or rough bristly, older branches are usually smooth.

The stalked leaves are alternate on the branches. The petioles measure three to six, occasionally up to ten centimeters and are like the young twigs pubescent. The leaf blade is broadly oval, broadly obovate to roundish and above the middle at the widest. The blade tip is blunt or ends in a short pulled tip. The leaf base is rounded or slightly heart-shaped. The underside of the leaves are light green and hairy, the upper surface dark and hairy smooth or only to the leaf veins. In the tips of finely toothed leaf margin forming veins.

The yellowish or orange flowers are borne singly or in inflorescences of up to three flowers. The five hairy sepals are broadly oval. The five petals measure one to two inches, are also oval and run to the base in a narrow foot. There are no hermaphrodite, but male and female flowers. The anthers are five to ten millimeters long stamens. The upper permanent ovary is hairy yellow.

The roundish berries are four to five inches tall. The initial hair is lost rapidly when ripe they are smooth. The recurved sepals as well as the stylus stick to the fruit.

This type is usually diploid, tetraploid, there are also some populations.

The genome sequence has been available since 2013. The genome contains about 39,000 genes. The scientists had for the Kiwi variety ' Hongyang ' investigated, which is often grown in China.

Dissemination

Actinidia chinensis grows widely in southeastern China. To the north, the area is bounded roughly by the Yellow River. Altitudes of 200 to 600 meters are populated. The locations are forests, clear secondary forests and scrublands.

Use

Due to the edible fruit ( the so-called Kiwis ) Actinidia chinensis is grown widely. By read in New Zealand cultivar ' Hort16A ' (brand name: Zespri Gold) with yellow flesh this Kiwi became more widespread and is offered in addition to the already longer marketed Actinidia deliciosa. It contains hardly Actinidain, a protein -cleaving enzyme and therefore goes well with dairy products, unlike the grünfleischige kiwi, which makes, for example, yogurt, cottage cheese and desserts with raw bitter fruits.

System

Within the genus Actinidia Actinidia chinensis type is classified in the section Maculatae. Close relatives are the species Actinidia eriantha, Actinidia callosa, Actinidia Actinidia guilinensis and grandiflora. A particular family relationship is to Actinidia deliciosa. This hexaploid species is probably emerged through an increase in the number of chromosomes from Actinidia chinensis. In crosses of these two species, the germination rate is indeed reduced, but there are also in the nature of a genetic exchange between them.