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
Kiwifruit to children to help them grow and to women who have given birth to help them recover. Raw kiwifruit contains actinidain (also spelled "actinidin") which is commercially useful as a meat tenderizer and possibly as a digestive aid. Actinidain also makes raw kiwifruit unsuitable for use in desserts containing milk or any other dairy products because the enzyme digests milk proteins. This applies to gelatin-based desserts, due to the fact that the actinidain will dissolve the proteins in gelatin, causing the dessert to either liquefy or prevent it from solidifying. In a 100-gram amount, green kiwifruit provides 61 calories, is