Actinidia kolomikta

Arctic kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta)

Scientific name	Actinidia kolomikta ^[1] ^[2]
Common names	Arctic kiwi; Kolomikta kiwi; Kolomikta vine ^[3]
Genus	Actinidia ^[1]
Family	Actinidiaceae ^[1]
Order	Ericales ^[1]
Growth form	Deciduous dioecious woody vine ^[3] ^[4]
Native range	Russian Far East, northeastern and central China, Korea, Japan and Sakhalin ^[2]
Mature size	About 15–20 ft (4.6–6.1 m) in the examined horticultural profiles ^[3] ^[4]
Climate/site	Temperate woodland vine; sun to part shade; hardy to about USDA Zone 3/4 in regional landscape guidance ^[4]
Propagation	Fresh seed after three months of stratification; cuttings are also used ^[3]
Pollination	Male and female plants are separate; NC State suggests one male for three to four females ^[3]
Fruit	Greenish edible fruit about 1 in (2.5 cm) long ^[3] ^[4]
Harvest	Female vines fruit in fall in the NC State profile ^[3]

Actinidia kolomikta, commonly called Arctic kiwi or Kolomikta kiwi, is a deciduous woody vine native to temperate parts of northeastern Asia. It is grown for its small edible fruit and for foliage that can develop pink and white coloration, particularly on male plants. ^[2] ^[3]

Description[edit | edit source]

The vine is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, and reaches roughly 15–20 ft (4.6–6.1 m) in the examined landscape and extension profiles. Its leaves are alternate and heart-shaped; Oregon State describes pink and white coloration, while shade and excessive fertilization can reduce the display. The flowers are small, and the fruit is an oblong greenish berry about 2.5 cm long. ^[3] ^[4]

The native range extends from the Russian Far East through northeastern and central China and Korea to Japan and Sakhalin. The plant is a temperate liana associated with mixed-forest conditions rather than a tropical evergreen fruit vine. ^[2]

Cultivation[edit | edit source]

Soil and water[edit | edit source]

Choose fertile soil that holds even moisture while draining freely. The NC State profile specifies fertile, evenly moist soil, while the broader Actinidia guidance from Wisconsin Extension supports a well-drained, somewhat acid root zone with dependable moisture and a permanent trellis. That latter recommendation is a genus-level starting point, not a measured soil requirement unique to A. kolomikta. ^[3] ^[5]

Build the support before planting: a mature vine needs a durable structure rather than a temporary stake. Keep the root zone from swinging between drought and saturation, especially during establishment and fruit development. ^[5]

Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]

Sun to part shade is suitable in the Oregon State profile. Bright exposure helps flowering and fruiting, but the same profile notes that shade reduces the pink-and-white leaf coloration; excessive fertilization can have a similar effect. Provide airflow around the vine while protecting young growth from drying conditions. ^[4]

Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]

This is a deciduous vine from cool-to-cold temperate regions. Dormant-season pruning is recommended by NC State, and the seasonal workload is greatest before spring growth begins: prune while the vine is dormant, then maintain even moisture through the growing season. Early-summer flowering is followed by fall fruit maturation in the NC State profile. ^[3]

The species is rated around USDA Zone 3/4 in Oregon State's regional landscape guidance, while Wisconsin Extension gives approximately −35 to −40°F as a hardy-kiwi context. Treat those figures as regional guidance rather than a guarantee for every cultivar, site or spring-frost pattern. ^[4] ^[5]

Propagation[edit | edit source]

For seed propagation, NC State recommends three months of stratification and reports germination of fresh seed in roughly two to three months. Sow clean seed after the cold-moist treatment and keep the medium evenly moist; seed-grown plants should not be assumed to duplicate the sex, fruit quality or other traits of the parent vine. Cuttings are another listed propagation route. ^[3]

Clonal micropropagation has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions. In a full-text Estonian study of the unusual bisexual accession 'Lisaku', nodal explants were multiplied on defined media, rooted on half-strength media, and one treatment reached 89.3% survival after acclimatization. The cultures were maintained at 23 ± 2°C under a 16-hour photoperiod, so these results describe a tissue-culture protocol rather than an ordinary home cutting method. ^[6]

A separate original study reports a multiplication rate of 9.5 and more than 90% in-vivo rooting for nodal segments from female shoots, but its accessible record is an abstract only; the unreported culture conditions and accession details should not be inferred. ^[7]

Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]

Male and female plants are separate. For a fruiting planting, include a compatible male and female arrangement; NC State gives one male for three to four females as a practical ratio. Flowers are described as appearing in early summer, and the female fruit ripens in fall in that profile. ^[3]

Hardy-kiwi fruiting dates vary with cultivar and weather. Wisconsin Extension describes late-summer to late-fall ripening across hardy kiwifruits and notes that fruit is commonly picked at mature-ripe stage and ripened off the vine; this is genus-level hardy-kiwi guidance and should be adjusted to the individual vine rather than treated as a fixed A. kolomikta calendar. ^[5]

Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]

The fruit is greenish and edible, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long in the NC State and Oregon State profiles. A Lithuanian orchard study of four named cultivars describes the fruit as soft, sour-sweet and green, with about 80 fine seeds that were not felt when eating. Its reported fruit mass ranged from 2.16 to 4.50 g under that study's cultivar and orchard conditions, so the range is not a species-wide average. ^[3] ^[4] ^[9]

Cultivars and selections[edit | edit source]

NC State lists 'Ananasnaya Michurina' (also called 'Anna'), 'Arctic Beauty', 'Arnold A', 'Krupnoplodnaya' and 'Red Beauty' as selections associated with A. kolomikta. It specifically describes 'Krupnoplodnaya' as larger-fruited; the other names should be treated as documented selections, not as a guarantee of a particular fruit result in every climate. ^[3]

The Lithuanian fruit-composition study examined 'Laiba', 'Lankė', 'Landė' and 'Paukštės Šakarva' in a research orchard. Those cultivars differed in the study's fruit-mass and composition results, but the measured ranges apply to that orchard material and harvest conditions. A separate germplasm study found berry size, berry shape and leaf-variegation intensity useful for distinguishing accessions and reported genetic differentiation among named material; its accessible record is an abstract, so detailed performance comparisons are not added here. ^[8] ^[9]