Comparison of A. chinensis and A. deliciosa
In older classifications, A. deliciosa was considered a variety of A. chinensis, but since the 1980s, the two species have split based on characteristics including fruit shape, skin texture, and hairiness. In general, A. deliciosa is more oblong and cylindrical, while A. chinensis is rounder and more globe-shaped. A. deliciosa has a thicker skin covered with more and stouter hairs, while A. chinensis has a smoother, thinner skin, with hairs more like peach fuzz, which can be rubbed off easily. A. deliciosa is the source of the widely produced “Hayward” cultivar synonymous with kiwifruit, but cultivars of A. chinensis were developed starting in 1977 with commercial production starting in the 1990s; the fruit is marketed as “gold” or “golden” kiwifruit.
(Beutel 1990, FAO/Ecocrop 2012, Ferguson 1999, Mainland and Fisk 2006, Morton 1987, van Wyk 2005.)
- Beutel, J.A. 1990. Kiwifruit production in California. University of California Cooperature Extension. Family Farm Series brochure. Accessed 7 February 2012 from http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/391-349.pdf.
- FAO/Ecocrop. 2012. Actinidia chinensis. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Ecocrop online database. Retrieved 7 February 2012 from http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/cropView?id=889.
- Ferguson, A.R. 1999. New temperate fruits: Actinidia chinensis and Actinidia deliciosa. p. 342–347. In: J. Janick, ed. Perspectives on new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA. Accessed 7 February 2012 from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-342.html.
- Mainland, C.M., and C. Fisk. 2006. Kiwifruit. North Carolina State University Horticultural Leaflet. Accessed 7 February 2012 from http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-208.html.
- Morton, J. 1987. Kiwifruit. p. 293–300. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL. Accessed 7 February 2012 from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/kiwifruit_ars.html.
- van Wyk, B.-E. 2005. P. 42 in “Actinidia delicious.” Food Plants of the World: An Illustrated Guide. Portland, OR: Timber Press.
