Kiwifruit or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus Actinidia. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit is oval, about the size of a large hen's egg: 5–8 centimetres in length and 4.5–5.5 cm in diameter. It has a thin, fuzzy, fibrous, tart but edible light brown skin and light green or golden flesh with rows of tiny, black, edible seeds. The fruit has a soft texture with a sweet and unique flavour.
Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. Various citrus species have been used and domesticated by indigenous cultures in these areas since ancient times. From there its cultivation spread into Micronesia and Polynesia by the Austronesian expansion ; and to the Middle East and the Mediterranean via the incense trade route, and onwards to Europe and the Americas.
A cultivar is a kind of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and which retains those traits when propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, or carefully controlled seed production. Most cultivars arise from purposeful human manipulation, but some originate from wild plants that have distinctive characteristics. Cultivar names are chosen according to rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), and not all cultivated plants qualify as cultivars. Horticulturists generally believe the word cultivar was coined as a term meaning "cultivated variety".
HortResearch was a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. The focus of research in this company was mainly in the development of new fruit varieties and other food products. It was probably most recognised for its plant breeding of various kiwifruit varieties, including new cultivars of Actinidia (genus) chinensis and arguta (species).
Actinidia arguta, the hardy kiwi, is a perennial vine native to Japan, Korea, Northern China, and the Russian Far East. It produces a small kiwifruit without the hair-like fiber covering the outside, unlike most other species of the genus.
Diospyros kaki, the Oriental persimmon, Chinese persimmon, Japanese persimmon or kaki persimmon, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Diospyros. Although its first botanical description was not published until 1780, D. kaki is among the oldest cultivated plants, having been in use in China for more than 2000 years.
Actinidia deliciosa, the fuzzy kiwifruit, is a fruiting vine native to Southern China. Other species of Actinidia are also found in China and range east to Japan and north into southern areas of Russian Far East. This species grows naturally at altitudes between 600 and 2,000 m.
Actinidain is a type of cysteine protease enzyme found in fruits including kiwifruit, pineapple, mango, banana, figs, and papaya. This enzyme is part of the peptidase C1 family of papain-like proteases.
Actinidia chinensis(Planch.), known commercially as the golden kiwifruit, is a fruiting vine, native to China. It is one of some 40 related species of the genus Actinidia, and closely related to Actinidia deliciosa, which is the source of the most common commercial kiwifruit. Fruit colour may vary from green to lime green or gold, depending on breeding.
Cultivated plant taxonomy is the study of the theory and practice of the science that identifies, describes, classifies, and names cultigens—those plants whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity. Cultivated plant taxonomists do, however, work with all kinds of plants in cultivation.
The 'Summerfree' is an apple cultivar first developed in Italy in the 1990s by crossing 'PRI 1956-6' and 'Ed Gould Golden' apples. Resistant to apple scab, it has a spreading habit with moderate vigor, the fruit are large with an average weight of 175 g, the skin is smooth, it ripens one to two months before 'Gala', and it has good storage ability.
Kiwifruit or kiwi is a major horticultural export earner for New Zealand. New Zealand developed the first commercially viable kiwifruit and developed export markets, creating the demand for the fruit that exists today. Today New Zealand is the third largest kiwifruit producing country, next to China and Italy, and holds approximately 30% of the market share. In the 2008–2009 season the value of New Zealand kiwifruit exports was NZ$1.45 billion.
John Pilkington Hudson, was an English horticultural scientist who did pioneer work on long-distance transportability of what became known as the kiwifruit. He was also a celebrated bomb disposal expert.
Mary Isabel Fraser was a New Zealand teacher, school principal and educationalist.
Roderick Leon Bieleski was a New Zealand plant physiologist. As a botanist and horticulturist, his research focussed on understanding the factors that affected the behaviour of plants, in particular horticultural crops. His work had practical relevance to farmers and orchardists in building their understanding of these factors and taking account of them while making a living from growing and harvesting plants. He received many honours and awards, culminating in being appointed Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2010.
The gold kiwifruit or yellow kiwi is a variety of kiwifruit developed by the company Zespri International Ltd. The yellow kiwi is a different species but of the same genus as the green one.
Freek Vrugtman was a Canadian botanist and horticulturist. Vrugtman was Curator at both University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. For 45 years he served as the International Registrar for Hybrid Cultivars of Lilacs in the Genus Syringa.
Dracaena hallii is a species of succulent plant native to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Limpopo Province of South Africa. The species was named for Harry Hall, formerly the curator of succulents at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town. Commonly known as the "baseball bat" plant, it has extremely thick foliage with a rounded shape and a central channel.
Limonium gmelini, the Siberian statice, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to east-central and southeastern Europe, Russia, the north Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, parts of Siberia, Xinjiang, and Mongolia. A widespread halophytic species, it is found growing in seeps, meadows, steppes, roadsides, and wastelands, as long as they are saline.
Actinidia eriantha is a species of flowering plant in the Chinese gooseberry family Actinidiaceae, native to southern China. A large climbing shrub, it is found in low mountain forests and grassy thickets at elevations from 200 to 1,000 m. It fruits in November, which has precluded its development as a commercial crop.
