Актинидия коломикта

Family Actinidiaceae. The best-known species in cultivation. Found in the Far East in mixed and coniferous forests on mountain slopes up to 1000–1800 m above sea level. A fruit-bearing and ornamental dioecious vine-like shrub with thin, smooth, twining or erect branches, climbing to a height of up to 7 m. Shoots are weakly jointed, glossy, dark brown.

With rather large, wrinkled, oblong-ovate leaves that change color: at the beginning of growth they are bronze, then green turning to dark green; before flowering (mainly in open sites) the tips of most leaves become bright white, and after flowering — pink, then raspberry-red. Combined with light-brown, glossy young shoots, mature plants of this Actinidia are very decorative even in the vegetative state. An extraordinary fragrance drifts around plantings of this species during flowering, when against the foliage appear white, solitary flowers on long nodding pedicels, up to 1.5 cm in diameter. Flowering lasts up to 20 days. Fruits are cylindrical up to 1.8 cm long, dark green with dark longitudinal stripes, edible, fragrant, with a delicate taste. In autumn the leaves turn pink, yellow, light yellow or purple-red shades.

It is in active growth from early May to early October, about 150 days. In the first 3 years it grows rapidly. Blooms from 5 years of age, in the second decade of June. Bears fruit from 9 years, fruits ripen in mid-September. Winter hardiness I. Spring and summer cuttings root 100% without treatment with stimulants. The species is more shade-tolerant than Actinidia arguta, but grows somewhat more slowly. It poorly tolerates dryness of the air and soil. The most winter-hardy representative

Propagates well vegetatively. Under favorable conditions it lives 80–100 years. Used, like the previous species, for vertical landscaping. Requires vertical supports.