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Actinidiaceae FAMILY

Actinidia kolomikta

Actinidia kolomikta

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Climber
Growth—

Actinidia kolomikta has probably the widest range of any member of this genus. It is found at low elevations as far north as 50°N, but also grows at elevations of 3,500 metres in the subtropical to tropical mountains of southwest China. It is a very cold resistant species - dormant plants are hardy to at least -30°c although new growth in spring can be cut back by late frosts[1, 2, 3]. Prefers a sound loamy neutral soil[4, 3]. Succeeds in semi-shade but full sun is best for fruit production[3]. Another report says that the plant prefers semi-shade[2]. Prefers a sheltered position[3]. When grown in a sunny position the leaves normally develop a strong variegation[5]. Prefers a neutral soil, plants become more variegated when they are grown in a limy soil[3]. Plants grow well on a wall and can also be grown into trees[6]. Fruits are produced on second year wood or on fruit spurs on older wood[7], any pruning is best carried out in the winter[5]. The flowers are sweetly scented[8]. Although individual fruits are quite small (weighing 2 - 5g), mature vines can produce up to 12 kg of fruit[9]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3]. A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required. Female plants produce morphologically perfect flowers with well-developed pistils and stamens, but their stamens produce nonviable pollen; flowers of male plants have small, rudimentary ovaries without viable ovules but their stamens release viable pollen[9]. Cats are very fond of this plant and can damage it by scratching it etc[6, 10, 3].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[11]. It is probably best if the seed is given 3 months stratification[12], either sow it in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in late autumn or as soon as it is received. Fresh seed germinates in 2 - 3 months at 10°c, stored seed can take longer[11]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When the plants are 30cm or more tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts[PFAF]. Most seedlings are male[7]. The seedlings are subject to damping off, they must be kept well ventilated[12]. Cuttings of softwood as soon as ready in spring in a frame[PFAF]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame. Very high percentage[12]. Cuttings of ripe wood, autumn in a frame. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Actinidia+kolomikta>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Flora of the USSR. — Komarov. V. L. · Israel Program for Scientific Translation · 1968 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  2. [2]Wonder Crops. 1987. — Natural Food Institute, ↩︎Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  6. [6]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  7. [7]The Plantsman. Vol. 6. 1984 - 1985. — ? · Royal Horticultural Society · 1984 · ISBN - ↩︎Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Actinidia and Wisteria species.
  8. [8]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  9. [9]Genetic Resources of Kiwifruit: Domestication and Breeding — A. Ross Ferguson; Hongwen Huang · John Wiley & Sons, Inc. · 2007 · ISBN 978-0-471-73214-3 ↩︎A very detailed look at the horticultural prospects of kiwifruits (Actinidia species).
  10. [10]Growing Unusual Fruit. — Simmons. A. E. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1972 · ISBN 0-7153-5531-7 ↩︎A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.
  11. [11]Growing from Seed. Volume 1. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1987 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  12. [12]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  14. [14]Flora of Japan. (English translation) — Ohwi. G. · Smithsonian Institution · 1965 · ISBN - ↩︎The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
  15. [15]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
  16. [16]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  17. [17]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  18. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎