Types and varieties of actinidia

Actinidia is a genus of 75 species, including the famous kiwi fruit (Chinese Actinidia). All types and varieties of actinidia are woody and shrub vines. But they are quite different in their garden properties.

Acute actinidia, or argut actinidia, is the largest in the genus. Its main features:

• maximum height - up to 30 m;
• the trunk can reach 15 cm in diameter;
• leaves the size of an adult's palm - 16 cm in length, 13 cm in diameter;
• flowers are quite large, up to 2 cm in diameter, male flowers are collected in umbrellas up to 50 pcs., female - 1-3 pcs.;
• flowering lasts 7-10 days;
• fruits - green aromatic berries-barrels, rather large, up to 10 g in weight, up to 2.7 cm in diameter, up to 3 cm in length;
• in suitable conditions, the plant lives for over 100 years.

The bark of the plant is light brown, young shoots are covered with red pubescence, the leaves are bright green. The flowers are very fragrant, the smell is reminiscent of lilies of the valley. The fruits ripen from late September to late October. They are like small kiwis - with the same vibrant green flesh, small seeds, creamy center and sweet and sour refreshing taste. The plant lives in the Far East, Japan, China and Korea. It is of economic importance. The berries are delicious, contain up to 1% vitamin C.

Berries are consumed fresh, dried and used in the confectionery industry. Valuable honey plant.

There are many varieties of actinidia argut.

• "Kens Red" - fruits are elongated, dark red, with a very sweet burgundy pulp and pineapple aftertaste. The skin is smooth, thin, edible, the fruit does not need to be peeled. Bred in New Zealand.

• Jumbo - fruits up to 4 cm long, green, with a very thin tasty skin, tender, green flesh. The variety was bred in Italy.

• "Geneva" - fruits 15-20 g, the skin is tender, edible, green in color with a pink blush. The pulp is light green and tastes like a mixture of pineapple and kiwi. Bred in the USA.

• "Lucy" - berries up to 18 g, green with pink flashes, interesting contrasting color inside, with pink rays from the center. The taste is excellent, sweet and sour, the whole berry is juicy, the peel is very pleasant. Bred in Poland.).

Chinese actinidia (Actinidia chinensis) is very close to gourmet actinidia (Actinídia deliciósa), which is also often called Chinese, because it is gourmet that is most often used for breeding cultivars of kiwi. The fruits of the Chinese actinidia have smooth, bronze-colored fruits. The pulp is bright, green or yellow, juicy, very sweet and aromatic. The taste and aroma are more pronounced than that of the gourmet one. The most valuable varieties have a red ring around the center and a yellow flesh around the edge. The taste is reminiscent of tropical fruits.

Chinese actinidia is also called the "golden kiwi" for its pulp color and high price tag. Its fruits are less fluffy and easier to consume. The plant itself lives in dense forests, preferring slopes and ravines.

Varieties of "golden kiwi".

• Enza red - variety with golden outer pulp and a red radiant star in the center. The taste is also double, the outer part of the pulp has a soft and delicate taste, red in the center - berry, fresh.
• Hort16A, or Zespri Gold, or Sun Gold - fruits with smooth golden brown skin and light yellow pineapple pulp. A popular variety, it was sold around the world for a long time, until it lost its position due to the defeat of the PSA (bacterial kiwi cancer) bacterium in New Zealand, as well as in other countries, including Italy, which is the leader in kiwi cultivation in the world.
• Zesy002 - the most disease resistant modern industrial variety. New. Fruits are larger, ovoid, yellow flesh, ripen early.

Of the green-fleshed varieties, the most popular industrial varieties are:

• Hayward - large-fruited, female type, self-fertile;
• "Abbot" - slightly smaller, teardrop-shaped fruits, female type;
• "Bruno" - female type variety, long fruits;
• Allison - slightly smaller Hayward, but the largest of the listed, female type;
• "Monty" - ovoid, medium-sized fruits, female type;
• "Tomuri" - pollinator, male type;
• "Matua" - a variety of the male type.

It was the gourmet actinidia (Actinídia deliciósa) that laid the foundation for the aforementioned industrial kiwi. This is a large liana - up to 9 m in height, leaves - up to 12 cm, fragrant flowers, white, densely pubescent fruits, brown, ovoid, up to 5-6 cm in diameter. The flesh is most often green, but in gourmet kiwis, the flesh can also be yellow, as well as brownish and white.

The most popular and interesting species and varieties of garden actinidia.

• Polygamous... A decorative variety with a lot of names. It is a liana up to 5 meters high, with color-changing foliage. Leaves change color from green to pure white during the season. The contrasting plant looks very impressive. Actinidia polygamous is not as hardy as colomicta or arguta, but more beautiful. Berries of a characteristic shape, with a sharp nose, have a sweet-burning taste, therefore, they are used in food in limited quantities. The most popular commercial variety of actinidium polygam "Yellow Spindle".

• "Kiev large-fruited" - this is a liana up to 6 meters high, bred in the Kiev Botanical Garden, the result of crossing the varieties "Purple Garden" and "Emerald". The fruits are very large, up to 20 g, wide, similar to barrels. The skin is smooth, green, the flesh is light green, with a slight purple tone. Very juicy. The plant is healthy, unpretentious. The variety is not self-fertile; female and male plants are needed.

• "Relay race" - a variety of actinidia arguta, with smooth, large, yellowish-green fruits. There may be a slight blush. The mass of one berry is 20 g, the skin is edible. The pulp is emerald green, juicy.

• "Pineapple" - this is actinidia arguta, one of the best self-fertile mini-varieties, a plant up to 3 meters in height, fruits up to 3 cm in length, green with a very large purple blush. The pulp is fragrant, dessert.

• "Hybrid Sausage" - it is often compared to Kiev varieties. Very large smooth fruits, up to 15 g, resemble thick barrels, very juicy, a lot of pulp. The skin is greenish with a lingonberry blush. The pulp is green-purple. The taste is very sweet, candy.

• "Waffle" - it is called the best kolomikta for its excellent yield (up to 7 kg), growth rate and resistance to bad weather. Berries of olive color, weighing up to 4 g, elongated, 3 cm long. Very fragrant, with a strong sweet fruity aroma, reminiscent of a mixture of fresh apples and pineapples.

• "Adam"... The most decorative variety of actinidia kolomikta. This is a tall vine with tricolor leaves - green-white-pink. The color of the foliage is clean and juicy, over the years the bush becomes more and more painted. The berries are not very large, but tasty, "Adam" can be a pollinator for female varieties.

• "Fragrant". Variety of actinidia kolomikta. Its fruit resembles a matured gooseberry. Emerald green, with a well-defined mesh of veins, only the shape is closer to a barrel or cylinder. The fruits are tasty, with an original musky aroma.

• "Leningradskaya" - another spectacular variety of kolomikt.The foliage is changeable, green with white, pink and silvery patches. Fruits up to 3 cm in length, green, with fleshy sweet pulp. Very frost resistant.

• "Native"... Red Data Book species, valuable for its rarity. Variety of actinidia argut. Liana actinidia "Tuzemka" is very large, up to 15 meters, fruits are relatively small, 8 g each, but very sweet and with a bright pineapple aroma.

• Sakhalinskaya... A curious variety of kolomikt. Fruits are medium-sized, up to 3 g, green with stripes, if not collected in time, will turn into raisins. The taste is slightly astringent, tart, with hints of honey. Sweet, medicinal berries. Very hardy.

Actinidia kolomikta is one of the most popular species in Russia, so there are many varieties:

• "Festivalnaya";
• "Sweet stick";
• Clara Zetkin;
• Vitakola;
• "Doctor Shimanovsky".

New self-fertile varieties are also in demand. Sold under the name "Actinidia self-fertile", or "Mini kiwi", also have a popular name Mini Kiwi without pubescence. This is a tall liana with large, up to 20 g fruits, with a light green smooth skin and pulp that tastes like gooseberries and apples.

For the Moscow region and the middle zone, it is better to take either actinidia kolomikta or actinidia argut. But among the argument, not all varieties are frost-resistant enough. Many of them were developed for the conditions of Ukraine, although, on average, all argues can withstand winter temperatures down to -40 ° C. Polygamum, purple, gourmet and Chinese are less frost-resistant. They are grown in tropical and warm countries, in the Russian Federation - as a houseplant or a crop for a winter garden. The Chinese one will withstand winter frosts down to -15 ° C, when the temperature drops, it will die. It is also important to take into account the duration of fruiting. Mid-season varieties in Ukraine and in the middle lane will yield a harvest no earlier than September. Therefore, for the sake of berries for fresh consumption and processing, it is best to choose varieties bred in Russia and belonging to the early ripening group:

• kolomikta - "Slastena", "Household", "Prazdnichnaya", "Gourmet", "Wafer" (one of the most fruitful varieties), "Leningradskaya large-fruited", "Soroka";
• argument - "Mikhnevskaya", "Taiga Emerald", "Zvezdnaya", "Lunnaya", "Golden Scythe".
• hybrid - "Hybrid Sausage", "Candy", "Souvenir".

It is possible to grow "Tuzemka" and "Iuliania", they belong to the actinidia Giraldi, a subspecies of the argut, can tolerate frosts down to -28 ... -40 ° С. Russian breeders also work with polygamous actinidia: the varieties Zlata, Apricot, and Yellow Spindle are frost-resistant and have unusual-tasting berries that resemble either sweet peppers or figs. You can also be guided by taste: actinidia "Marmaladka" has a strawberry aftertaste, "Pineapple", "Maritsa" and "Leningradskaya large-fruited" - pineapple, "Vafelnaya" has a very bright individual aroma.