Teng Li Gen

Actinidia chinensis is a vigorous, deciduous woody climbing vine of the Actinidiaceae, native to central and southern China. Mature stems may reach 8–10 m, twining over supports with reddish, hairy young shoots. The alternate leaves are broadly ovate to nearly orbicular, 7–15 cm long, with cordate bases and dense rusty hairs beneath. Dioecious flowers open cream-coloured and age to buff-yellow in early summer, the females followed by the familiar fuzzy brown berries — the commercial kiwifruit. While the fruit is a global food crop, the medicinal organ here is the woody root, which is dug, sliced, and dried for use. The species occurs naturally in mountain forests and along streamsides between roughly 200 and 1800 m elevation.