Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) — Plotwright

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Kiwifruit

Habit (mature) · Mike Finn / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Limited coverage

Kiwifruit

Actinidia deliciosa

A vigorous, fast-growing woody vine from China grown commercially worldwide for its fuzzy brown, edible fruits. It climbs 15-30 feet and can fill a 200 sq. ft. trellis in time, carrying large rounded leaves and slightly fragrant cream flowers that open on year-old wood in late spring. It is dioecious: a male pollinizer must be grown alongside female plants for fruit to set.

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: narrow (17/100)

Structure

Edible

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

180-360" tall · 120" apart

Hardy in zones

8a-9b

cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Warm-Hot

warm to hot summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

No

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Won't grow here

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Won't grow here

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✕

Out of range today and still out of range in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 35 ecoregions — 29 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today · 5 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Chilean Matorral

Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

Eastern Canadian Forest-Boreal transition

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/kiwifruit

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY 2.0

Backs 1 field

Image

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

University extension service

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

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