www.rhs.org.uk
November 2009
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Successful pollination
Actinidia arguta, A. kolomikta and
A. purpurea all begin flowering in
May and June (A. kolomikta with
its lemon-scented blooms is
usually first). they bear small,
white flowers 2–4cm (¾ –1½in
across) that are generally
dioecious – the male and female
flowers borne on different plants,
so ensure you grow both for fruit.
the male flowers, produced in
racemes of a dozen or so, have
well-developed anthers and their
pollen remains fertile for three to
four days. female flowers are
usually carried individually or in
small clusters of two or three, and
have a large pistil surrounded by
pollenless stamens. they can be
pollinated for up to nine or 10
days. the number and size of
berries depends on good
pollination, so it is vital that
female and male plants are near
to each other and bloom at
around the same time. actinidias
are principally pollinated by bees
and other insects and, to a lesser
extent, by wind. however, the
flowers are in fact relatively
unattractive to insects, so it may
be worth carrying out hand
pollination. to do this, pick a
freshly opened male flower and
brush it for one to two seconds
against a female flower. the pollen
of one male flower is sufficient to
pollinate about five female flowers.
Nutrition and culinary use
the fruit of these three Actinidia
species are roughly gooseberry
sized: A. arguta and A. purpurea
berries are 2.5–5cm (1–2in) long
and weigh about 5–30g (¼–1oz)
each, while A. kolomikta fruits are
2–2.5cm (¾–1in) long, 1–1.3cm
(
3
⁄
8
–½in) across and weigh
2.5–3g (about
1
⁄
8
oz). they are
almost totally devoid of fat, low
in sodium and rich in vitamin c.
(there is about 400mg per 100g
vitamin c in A. arguta and
A.purpurea fruit, and 1,400mg
per 100g in A. kolomikta and its
cultivars. By comparison, an
orange contains 100mg
per 100g of this vitamin.)
fruits can be eaten raw,
Above: A heavy crop of Actinidia arguta ‘Jumbo’ fruit
Left: A. arguta ‘Weiki’ will quickly scale a trellis or wall