Actinidia deliciosa Zealand, around 1924. This is the most widely grown cultivar in the world. Chinese gooseberry was initially grown in domestic gardens, but commercial planting began in the 1940s. In 1959, Turners and Growers named it kiwifruit, after New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi—brown and furry. , Italy was the leading producer of kiwifruit in the world, followed by New Zealand, Chile, France, Greece, Japan, and the United States. Kiwifruit is still produced in China, but China has never made it to the top 10 list of kiwifruit-producing countries. In China, it is grown mainly in the mountainous area upstream of
Kiwifruit "A. deliciosa" (fuzzy kiwifruit). Other species that are commonly eaten include "A. chinensis" (golden kiwifruit), "A. coriacea" (Chinese egg gooseberry), "A. arguta" (hardy kiwifruit), "A. kolomikta" (Arctic kiwifruit), "A. melanandra" (purple kiwifruit), "A. polygama" (silver vine) and "A. purpurea" (hearty red kiwifruit). Almost all kiwifruit sold belongs to a few cultivars of "A. deliciosa" (fuzzy kiwifruit): 'Hayward', 'Blake' and 'Saanichton 12'. They have a fuzzy, dull brown skin and bright green flesh. The familiar cultivar 'Hayward' was developed by Hayward Wright in Avondale, New Zealand, around 1924. It was initially grown in domestic gardens, but commercial planting began in the