Actinidia five small petals. Most of the species are dioecious with separate male and female plants, but some are monoecious. The fruit is a large berry containing numerous small seeds; in most species, the fruit is edible. In particular, this genus is known for the species "Actinidia deliciosa", the kiwifruit or Chinese gooseberry, and for the hardy ornamental "A. kolomikta". "Actinidia" macrofossils have been recovered from the late Zanclean stage of Pliocene sites in Pocapaglia, Italy. The 40–60 species of "Actinidia" include: Kiwifruit is a cultivar group of "A. deliciosa", and hardy kiwi is the species "Actinidia arguta", which has small
Actinidiaceae Actinidiaceae The Actinidiaceae are a small family of flowering plants commonly known as the Chinese gooseberry family. The family has three genera and about 360 species and is a member of the order Ericales. They are temperate and subtropical woody vines, shrubs, and trees, native to Asia ("Actinidia" or kiwifruit, "Clematoclethra", and "Saurauia") and Central America and South America ("Saurauia" only). "Saurauia", with its 300 species, is the largest genus in this family. Although now confined to Asia and tropical Central and South America, evidence indicates in the past the family had a wider distribution. The now extinct genus "Parasaurauia"