Leather-leaved actinidia
Actinidia coriacea

Family: Actinidiaceae

What it is like

A climber. It loses its leaves during the year. It grows to 8 m long. The leaves are oval and 4-13 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The fruit is 2 cm long and contains many small seeds.

There are 40-60 Actinidia species. The Actinidiaceae are a mainly tropical family.

Where it is found

It grows naturally in thickets between 200 - 1000 metres altitude from Kweichow and Szechuan to N.W. Yunnan Provinces in China. It has some frost resistance.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit is eaten raw or cooked.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed or cuttings. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Plants can be grown from seed. Fresh seed germinates in 2 - 3 months at 10°C and stored seed can take longer. Seedlings should be transplanted out when 30 cm tall and after the last frosts. (Most seedlings are male.) Plants can be grown from cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Duongdao dai

Synonyms

Actinidia callosa coriacea (Finet. & Gagnep.);