Actinidiaceae

Taxonomy

Family Name: Actinidiaceae Gilg & Werderm.

Synonym(s): Saurauiaceae Griseb., nom. cons.

Common Name(s): Chinese-gooseberry family

*Number of genera/species: 3/360

List of genera records in GRIN-Global

Disseminule

fruit or seed

Description

Fruit usually a berryberry:
an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa.
, sometimes a loculicidal capsule, 3–60 mm (cultivated fruits larger), globoseglobose:
3D shape—more or less spherical
to cylindricalcylindrical:
3D shape—a cylinder, with parallel sides and a circular cross-section; tubular or rod-shaped
, tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
in transection, sometimes beakedbeak:
a usually firm, terminal appendage, sometimes tapered
, with numerous seeds (up to 1,500 in Actinidia), reflexed sepalssepal:
a member of the outer envelope of a flower (calyx)
sometimes persistent. Pericarppericarp:
fruit wall or fruit coat
variable, fleshy (berryberry:
an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa.
) or leatheryleathery:
texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable
(capsulecapsule:
a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
), glabrousglabrous:
without hairs
or pubescentpubescent:
surface relief—bearing hairs
, smooth, ribbedribbed:
surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface
, or lenticulate. BerriesBerry:
an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa.
with massive placentae. Seeds usually embedded in mucilaginousmucilaginous:
resembling mucilage; moist and sticky
, greenish pulp.

Seeds oblongoblong:
2D shape—much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, corners are rounded
or trigonoustrigonous:
3D shape—having three faces that meet at distinct angles; triangular in outline
, tereteterete:
approximately circular in cross section; width and thickness approximately equal
in transection, 0.7–2.5 mm. Sarcotestasarcotesta:
pulpy or fleshy outer layer of the seed coat, simulates aril
present, fleshy. Seed coat brown, thin, crustaceouscrustaceous:
texture—thin, dry, indurate, and brittle
, sometimes cartilaginouscartilaginous:
texture—firm, dense, tough, somewhat pliable, and resilient, like cartilage
, reticulatereticulate:
surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces
or areolate. 

Embryo well developed, nearly filling seed cavity, axileaxile:
on or of the axis
and centric, linearlinear:
(shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide
, straight or slightly curvedcurved:
(of embryo) linear embryo is curved into an arch or horseshoe with the ends far apart
, with massive, flat cotyledons.

Endosperm copious, fleshy-firm (Actinidia, Clematoclethra) and mealymealy:
loose, dry, and disintegrating in finely granular pieces like meal or flour
(Saurauia).

Identification features

Fruit
Type	usually berryberry: an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa. , rarely loculicidalloculicidal: type of capsular dehiscence, opening longitudinally through the locules (compare septicidal) capsulecapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary
Size range	3–30 mm long, to 150 mm in cultivated fruits
Shape(s)	globoseglobose: 3D shape—more or less spherical , depressed-globose, oblongoblong: 2D shape—much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, corners are rounded , cylindricalcylindrical: 3D shape—a cylinder, with parallel sides and a circular cross-section; tubular or rod-shaped , mammilliform
Texture	usually fleshy, rarely leatheryleathery: texture—moderately thick, tough, and very pliable (capsulecapsule: a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a compound ovary )
Surface relief	smooth, ribbedribbed: surface relief—wide, prominent, linear ridges that are generally rounded and longitudinally situated on the surface , lenticellate, often pubescentpubescent: surface relief—bearing hairs
Color(s)	brown, black, blackish green, purple, red, yellow, orange, red, green, white
Unique features	Usually large dark to bright colored berriesberry: an indehiscent, fleshy fruit with one or a few to many seeds. The flesh may be homogenous throughout. Or, if the outer part is hard, firm, or leathery, referred to as an hesperidium. Septa are present in some, and the seeds may be arillate or with a fleshy testa. with seeds enclosed in mucilaginousmucilaginous: resembling mucilage; moist and sticky , greenish or yellowish pulp. Pulp often sweet and edible.
Seed
Size range	0.7–2.5 mm long
Shape(s)	oblongoblong: 2D shape—much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, corners are rounded , trigonoustrigonous: 3D shape—having three faces that meet at distinct angles; triangular in outline
Surface relief	reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces , areolate
Color(s)	brown
Unique features	Brown, often shinyshiny: uniformly reflecting a high proportion of incident light at all angles , reticulatereticulate: surface relief—netted, raised walls or concave grooves forming a net-like surface pattern with flat, concave, or convex interspaces or areolate seeds with large embryos and copious endosperm.
Other
Embryo	well developed, nearly filling seed cavity, linearlinear: (shape) long, narrow, and uniform in width; (of embryo) embryo is straight and much longer than wide , straight or slightly curvedcurved: (of embryo) linear embryo is curved into an arch or horseshoe with the ends far apart , with massive, flat cotyledons
Nutritive tissue	endosperm copious

Distribution

Temperate to subtropical regions  of Southeast Asia and Malesian. Saurauia also occurs in Central and South America and a single species in Australia

Distribution map courtesy of Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.

References

Kirkbride et al. 2006Kirkbride et al. 2006:
Kirkbride JH, Jr, Gunn CR, and Dallwitz MJ. 2006. Family guide for fruits and seeds, vers. 1.0. Accessed September 2020-January 2022. URL: https://nt.ars-grin.gov/seedsfruits/keys/frsdfam/index.cfm .; Kubitzki et al. 1990+Kubitzki et al. 1990+:
Kubitzki K et al., eds. 1990+. The families and genera of vascular plants. 7+ vols. Berlin etc.; Takhtajan 2009Takhtajan 2009:
Takhtajan A. 2009. Flowering plants: Second edition. Springer Nature, Switzerland. 871 pp.; Utteridge and Jennings 2022Utteridge and Jennings 2022:
Utteridge TMA and Jennings LSA. 2022. Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 656 pp.; Zhengyi et al. 2004+Zhengyi et al. 2004+:
Zhengyi W, Raven PH, and Deyuan H. 2004+. Flora of China [online]. 25 vols. Science Press, Beijing China & Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis USA. Accessed January–March 2024. http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

*The number of genera and species is based on Christenhusz and Byng 2016Christenhusz and Byng 2016:
Christenhusz MJM and Byng JW. 2016. The number of known plant species in the world and its annual increase. Phytotaxa 261 (3): 201-217. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1, which may differ from the number of genera in GRIN-Global.