Silver Vine (Actinidia polygama)
Description
Actinidia polygama (also known as silver vine, cat powder and matatabi) is a nontoxic plant in the Actinidiaceae family. It grows in the mountainous areas of Japan and China at elevations between 500 and 1900 m. Silver vine can reach up to 5–6 m high at maturity. It is a deciduous climber and is frost tender. The petiole leaves are silver and white in color and 6–13 cm long and 4–9 cm wide. These colorful markings make the plant identifiable from afar, until the flowering season when the leaves turn completely green. The flowering season lasts from late June to early July, in which the plant bears white flowers about 2.5 cm in diameter. The longevity of an individual flower is 2–3 d, when the plant also starts to develop small, yellow to yellow-red, egg-shaped, fleshy, and multiseeded fruits, which mature from September to October. The fruit is about 1.5 cm wide and 3.0–4.0 cm long. The inside of the fruit resembles the common kiwifruit, but it is orange in color rather than green. The silver vine plant requires moist, well-drained soil, and partial shade to full sun. This fast-growing vine makes for good cover on a fence or trellis. It is becoming increasingly popular as an edible fruit crop.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Ericales
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Family: Actinidiaceae
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Genus: Actinidia
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