Kiwi fruit family
Description
A family of dioecious or hermaphrodite woody and hairy twining perennial or annual plants, occurring mainly in the tropics and subtropics (Actinidiaceae 1).
The leaves are alternate and simple. The flowers are borne single (Actinidiaceae 2) or in axillary inflorescences, with 5 free sepals and petals, the male ones with numerous stamina, female ones with a superior ovary. The fruit is a berry or capsule.
There are 3 genera.
Use
Some species of the Genus Actinidia are grown for the edible greenish-brown fruits with a gooseberry flavour and commercially known as kiwi fruit.
Described species
Actinidia chinensis, Kiwi fruit or Chinese gooseberry