The kiwifruit is borne on a vigorous, woody, twining vine or climbing shrub reaching 30 ft 9 m. Its alternate, longpetioled, deciduous leaves are oval to nearly circular, cordate at the base, 3 to 5 in 7.512.5 cm long. Young leaves and shoots are coated with red hairs; mature leaves are darkgreen and hairless on the upper surface, downywhite with prominent, lightcolored veins beneath. The fragrant, dioecious or bisexual flowers, borne singly or in 3s in the leaf axils, are 5 to 6petalled, white at first, changing to buffyellow, 1 to 2 in 2.55 cm broad, and both sexes have central tufts of many stamens though those of the female flowers bear no viable pollen. The oval, ovoid, or oblong fruit, up to 2 12 in 6.25 cm long, with russetbrown skin densely covered with short, stiff brown hairs, is capped at the base with a prominent, 5pointed calyx when young but this shrivels and dehisce from the mature fruit while 5 small sepals persist at the apex. The flesh, firm until fully ripe, is glistening, juicy and luscious, brightgreen, or sometimes yellow, brownish or offwhite, except for the white, succulent center from which radiate many fine, pale lines. Between these lines are scattered minute darkpurple or nearly black seeds, unnoticeable in eating. Crosssections are very attractive. In some inferior types, the central core is fibrous or even woody. The flavor is subacid to quite acid, somewhat like that of the gooseberry with a suggestion of strawberry.

Address: Box 890, Winterville, N.C. 28590
Website: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/kiwifruit_ars.html