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Actinidia latifolia
Actinidiaceae FAMILY

Actinidia latifolia

Actinidia latifolia

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Climber
Growth—

A plant of the subtropical zone, entering into the tropics at elevations over 1,000 metres[1]. The plant is found in essentially frost-free climates. In China it grows in an area that has a humid monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons and a spring that is usually relatively dry. The mean annual rainfall is within the range 1,400 - 2,000mm. The mean annual temperature is around 15°c; with mid-winter mean temperatures usually between 8 - 17°c, and summer temperatures between 11 - 29°c. It is unlikely to succeed outdoors in any but the warmest areas of the temperate zone. It is possible that dormant plants can tolerate some frost, but the young spring growth would be very susceptible to frost damage[2]. Plants in this genus generally prefer a sound loamy neutral soil[3, 4]. They succeed in semi-shade but full sun is best for fruit production[4]. They prefer a sheltered position[4]. Fruits are formed on second year wood and also on fruit spurs on older wood[5], any pruning is best carried out in the winter[6]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4]. Dioecious. 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[7].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[8]. It is probably best if the seed is given 3 months stratification[9], 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[8]. 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[5]. The seedlings are subject to damping off, they must be kept well ventilated[9]. 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[9]. 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+latifolia>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Flora Malesiana Series 1 — Various · Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch · http://www.archive.org ↩︎A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download 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]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 ]).
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]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.
  7. [7]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).
  8. [8]Growing from Seed. Volume 1. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1987 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  9. [9]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.
  10. [10]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.
  11. [11]A Taxonomic Revision of Actinidiaceae of Vietnam — Nguyen M. Cuong, Djaja D. Soejarto & Jiangquiang Li · 2007 · http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/ ↩︎A treatment of the Actinidiaceae found in Vietnam
  12. [12]Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. Vol. 33. — Li. H. L. · Harvard University · 1952 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎A botanical magazine, it contains a monograph of the genus Actinidia. Available to download from the Internet.
  13. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎