Early varieties were described in a 1904 nursery catalogue as having "...

edible fruits the size of

walnuts, and the flavour of ripe gooseberries",[6] leading to the name Chinese gooseberry.[1] In
1962, New Zealand growers began calling it "kiwifruit" (Māori: huakiwi)[7] due to its fuzzy
appearance similar to the kiwi bird[8] for export marketing, and the name was first registered by
Turners & Growers on 15 June 1959[8] and later commercially adopted in 1974.[1] In New Zealand
and Australia, the word "kiwi" alone either refers solely to the bird or is used as a nickname for New
Zealanders; it is almost never used to refer to the fruit.[5][9] Kiwifruit has since become a common
name for all commercially grown green kiwifruit from the genus Actinidia.[1] In the United States
and Canada, the shortened name kiwi is commonly used when referring to the fruit.[10][11]

History

Main article: Kiwifruit industry in New Zealand

Kiwifruit

Kiwifruit (Chinese characters).svg

"Kiwifruit" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters

Traditional Chinese 獼猴桃

Simplified Chinese 猕猴桃

Literal meaning "macaque peach"

Transcriptions

Kiwifruit is native to central and eastern China.[1] The first recorded description of the kiwifruit
dates to 12th century China during the Song dynasty.[4] As it was usually collected from the wild and
consumed for medicinal purposes, the plant was rarely cultivated or bred.[12] Cultivation of kiwifruit
spread from China in the early 20th century to New Zealand, where the first commercial plantings
occurred.[1] The fruit became popular with British and American servicemen stationed in New
Zealand during World War II, and was later exported, first to Great Britain and then to California in
the 1960s.[1][5]

In New Zealand during the 1940s and 1950s, the fruit became an agricultural commodity through the
development of commercially viable cultivars, agricultural practices, shipping, storage, and
marketing.[13]

Species and cultivars

Kiwifruit 'Red Passion' with a red-ring

The genus Actinidia comprises around 60 species. Their fruits are quite variable, although most are
easily recognised as kiwifruit because of their appearance and shape. The skin of the fruit varies in
size, hairiness and colour. The flesh varies in colour, juiciness, texture and taste. Some fruits are
unpalatable, while others taste considerably better than the majority of commercial cultivars.[1][14]

The most commonly sold kiwifruit is derived from A. deliciosa (fuzzy kiwifruit). Other species that are
commonly eaten include A. chinensis (golden kiwifruit), A. coriacea (Chinese egg gooseberry), A.
arguta (hardy kiwifruit), A. kolomikta (Arctic kiwifruit), A. melanandra (purple kiwifruit), A. polygama
(silver vine) and A. purpurea (hearty red kiwifruit).[14]

Fuzzy kiwifruit

The larger A. deliciosa (fuzzy kiwifruit) at the rear compared to the smaller kiwi berry

Most kiwifruit sold belongs to a few cultivars of A. deliciosa (fuzzy kiwifruit): 'Hayward', 'Blake' and
'Saanichton 12'.[2] They have a fuzzy, dull brown skin and bright green flesh. The familiar cultivar
'Hayward' was developed by Hayward Wright in Avondale, New Zealand, around 1924.[14] It was
initially grown in domestic gardens, but commercial planting began in the 1940s.

'Hayward' is the most commonly available cultivar in stores. It is a large, egg-shaped fruit with a
sweet flavour. 'Saanichton 12', from British Columbia, is somewhat more rectangular than 'Hayward'
and comparably sweet, but the inner core of the fruit can be tough. 'Blake' can self-pollinate, but it
has a smaller, more oval fruit and the flavour is considered inferior.[2][14]

Kiwi berries

Kiwi berries are edible fruits the size of a large grape, similar to fuzzy kiwifruit in taste and internal
appearance but with a thin, smooth green skin. They are primarily produced by three species:
Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi), A. kolomikta (Arctic kiwifruit) and A. polygama (silver vine). They are
fast-growing, climbing vines, durable over their growing season. They are referred to as "kiwi berry,
baby kiwi, dessert kiwi, grape kiwi, or cocktail kiwi".[15]

The cultivar 'Issai' is a hybrid of hardy kiwi and silver vine which can self-pollinate. Grown
commercially because of its relatively large fruit, 'Issai' is less hardy than most hardy kiwi.[16][17]

Actinidia chinensis

Main article: Yellow kiwi

Golden kiwifruit Soreli

Actinidia chinensis (yellow kiwi or golden kiwifruit) has a smooth, bronze skin, with a beak shape at
the stem attachment. Flesh colour varies from bright green to a clear, intense yellow. This species is
'sweeter and more aromatic' in flavour compared to A. deliciosa, similar to some subtropical fruits.
[18] One of the most attractive varieties has a red 'iris' around the centre of the fruit and yellow
flesh outside. The yellow fruit obtains a higher market price and, being less hairy than the fuzzy
kiwifruit, is more palatable for consumption without peeling.[14]

A commercially viable[19] variety of this red-ringed kiwifruit, patented as EnzaRed, is a cultivar of

the Chinese hong yang variety.[20][21]

'Hort16A' is a golden kiwifruit cultivar marketed worldwide as Zespri Gold. This cultivar suffered
significant losses in New Zealand in 2010–2013 due to the PSA bacterium.[22] A new cultivar of
golden kiwifruit, Gold3, was found to be more disease-resistant and most growers have now
changed to this cultivar.[23] 'Gold3', marketed by Zespri as SunGold is not quite as sweet as
'Hort16A',[24] and lacks its usually slightly pointed tip.

Clones of the new variety SunGold have been used to develop orchards in China, resulting in partially
successful legal efforts in China by Zespri to protect their intellectual property.[25] In 2021, Zespri
estimated that around 5,000 hectares of Sungold orchards were being cultivated in China, mainly in
the Sichuan province.[