Kiwi varieties: The most popular in the world and in Spain

There are many different varieties of kiwi

Kiwis are very healthy and tasty fruits. Surely going to the supermarket you have been able to distinguish two different types: Green and yellow. But did you know that there are many more varieties of kiwi?

Although it is true that all types of these fruits usually have the pulp of one of these two colors, there are many more differences: size, flavor, skin, etc. If you want to know more, I recommend that you continue reading, because we will talk about the most popular kiwi varieties.

How many varieties of kiwi are there?

Kiwi varieties have different sizes and flavors

Kiwi varieties have different sizes and flavors

The kiwi, scientifically known as Delicious Actinideis native to China, but is mostly grown in New Zealand. It is part of the genus actinidia and, to this day, the most famous cultivars worldwide are Bruno and Hayward. In 1983, the Guangxi Botanical Institute of China managed to classify a total of 5 varieties, 53 species and 15 different forms, all included in this genus.

At the botanical level, three varieties of kiwi can be distinguished: Chinensis, hedges and hispida. It should be said that they can also be distinguished by their sex. So, the female kiwis are the following:

  • Abbot
  • Monty
  • Hayward
  • Bruno
  • Allison
  • Kramer
  • Greensil
  • Gracie
  • Tewi
  • Vincent
  • elmwood
  • Jones

As for the male kiwi varietiesthese are:

  • M-3
  • Father
  • toms
  • M51
  • M52
  • M54
  • M56
  • autari
  • Chieftain

The most famous kiwi varieties

The yellow kiwi is sweeter than the green

The yellow kiwi is sweeter than the green one

As is often the case, there are some varieties of kiwi that are much more famous than others. Let’s see what they are some of the most popular worldwide:

  • Grace: Let’s start with the variety known as Gracie. It stands out for its skin, which has a greenish-brown color with hair. The pulp, as in most kiwis, is green in color and has a slightly acid taste.
  • Jones: This variety has a slightly more oval shape than the others. Its pulp is quite bright and the taste is somewhat sweet and acid.
  • Kiwi Fruit 16: It is a medium-sized kiwi that comes from the Yellow Kiwi. Thus, the pulp is not green, but yellow. This fruit has very high levels of iron and vitamins C and E.
  • Kiwi A 19: Although it is true that this variety is very similar to the Yellow Kiwi, there is a fundamental difference. A 19 is more acidic and much smaller. Despite this, the cultivation of this variety became very popular in New Zealand.
  • Kiwi Sun Gold: It is again a variety from the Yellow Kiwi. The skin of the Sun Gold is hairless and the taste of the pulp is acidic. It is a widely cultivated variety in New Zealand.
  • Kiwi Jin Tao: Despite also coming from the Yellow Kiwi, this variety is closer to the Hort Kiwi. Therefore, it is not surprising that its pulp is yellow, but the fruit itself is sweeter and smaller.
  • Kiwi Sorrel: It is another variety from the Yellow Kiwi. However, it stands out for its great resistance to low temperatures. Its shell is smooth and has no hairs. They grow it mainly in Italy.
  • Kiwi JB Gold or Kiwi Kiss: Finally we have the Kiwi JB Gold, also known as Kiwi Kiss. It is one more variant of the Yellow Kiwi, but it exceeds it in size. It was first cultivated in New Zealand.

The 9 most popular kiwi varieties in Spain

In the case of Spain, Hayward cultivars are the most popular. Some varieties of this type were introduced later, such as the Top Star, Hayward K and Hayward 8 clones, which were first collected in other countries. Despite there being many varieties of kiwi, we are going to focus on the 9 best known in the Iberian Peninsula:

  1. Green Kiwi: It is the most famous in the whole world. It stands out for having a sweet taste with a touch of acidity. In addition, it has very high levels of vitamin C. In some places it is also known as Kiwi Zespri.
  2. Kiwi Hayward: This one is a little bigger than the previous one. Its shell is brown and covered with small hairs. The pulp of this kiwi is very juicy and green. Properly stored, this variety can last up to six months.
  3. Kiwi Hayward clone 8: Another very popular kiwi in Spain is the Hayward clone 8. It is a hybrid created in Greece. The advantages of this variety are that it is very resistant to low temperatures and that its ripening process is faster than in other types of kiwi.
  4. Kiwifruit Top Star: It is a modification of the Hayward variety. Its size is medium and its main characteristic is that its shell does not have hairs.
  5. Summer Kiwis: Also the variety known as Summer Kiwi is very popular in the Iberian country. It is the result of various crosses between various species of kiwi. The taste of this one is much sweeter compared to the others. In addition, it weighs less and the harvest time is much shorter. For this reason it is very economically advantageous for the people who grow it.
  6. Kiwifruit Abbott: The variety called Abbot is a medium sized kiwi. This generally keeps a little longer than the other types of this fruit.
  7. Kiwi Bruno: Despite being part of the 9 most popular kiwi varieties in Spain, Bruno is the one with the least commercial impact of all. That is to say: It consumes much less. However, this type has a higher concentration of vitamin C than most of the kiwis on this list.
  8. Yellow Kiwi: The scientific name of the yellow kiwi is Actinidia chinensis. This variety is much sweeter than the Green Kiwi and does not have that typical acid taste of this fruit. Also, as the name indicates, the pulp is yellow, not green. It is the second most cultivated kiwi species in the world. You can find out more about the properties of the Yellow Kiwi here!.
  9. KiwiMonty: Finally we have to highlight the Kiwi Monty. It is small in size and has a sweet flavor, although not as much as the Yellow Kiwi, as it maintains a bit of that acid touch of the green variety.

Now that you know which are the most famous kiwi varieties in the world, surely more than one sounds familiar to you. My favorite is, without a doubt, the Yellow Kiwi. And yours?

Kiwi varieties: The most popular in the world and in Spain

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