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Actinidia chinensis

Chinese Gooseberry · Chinese Soft-hair Kiwi · Golden Kiwi

Family ActinidiaceaeGenus Actinidia

Five brown egg-shaped fruits densely furred with fine hairs, hanging on short stalks from a bare woody branch.
FruitJJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/)CC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Perennial, VineExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
lianaPlants of the World Online
Flower
Cream/Tan, Gold/Yellow, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Spring, SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, TaiwanGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
6-9Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
Clay, Loam (Silt), SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, MoistExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • The origin of most commercial kiwifruit. Mary Isabel Fraser, principal of Whanganui Girls' College, brought seed to New Zealand in 1904; the name kiwifruit was adopted by 1959. Wikipedia: Actinidia chinensis
  • Traditional Chinese names for the fruit include míhóutáo, macaque peach, and húlítáo, fox peach. Wikipedia: Actinidia chinensis

This source reports 4 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

  2. Leach in running water

    Duration: 7 days

    Washed and cleaned daily for seven days.

  3. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

7 days from start to sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

96% germination in 21 days.

This is the kiwi fruit. Light lifts germination from 41% to 96%.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
Actinidla (Dllleniaceae). A. chinensis is the commercial fruit called kiwi. Seed WC 7 d germ. 70D(41%), 70L(96%), and 70D GA-3(96%) all in the 3rd w. A 3 m period at 40 was fatal, and only 1% of the seeds survived.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

  2. Leach in running water

    Duration: 7 days

    Washed and cleaned daily for seven days.

  3. Gibberellic acid soak

  4. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

7 days from start to sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

96% germination in 21 days.

GA-3 in the dark does what light does.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
Actinidla (Dllleniaceae). Seed WC 7 d germ. 70D(41%), 70L(96%), and 70D GA-3(96%) all in the 3rd w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

  2. Leach in running water

    Duration: 7 days

    Washed and cleaned daily for seven days.

  3. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

7 days from start to sowing. Then 21 days to germinate.

41% germination in 21 days.

In the dark germination is less than half what it is in light.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
Actinidla (Dllleniaceae). A. chinensis is the commercial fruit called kiwi. Seed WC 7 d germ. 70D(41%), 70L(96%), and 70D GA-3(96%) all in the 3rd w.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 15, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

about 3 months from start to sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

1% germination.

Three months at 40 killed almost all the seed.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88Public domain
Show the original text
A 3 m period at 40 was fatal, and only 1% of the seeds survived.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Actinidia p. 88. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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