The kiwi is native to the Center-North and East of China.
Kiwifruit cultivation and related commercial production facilities moved from the Asian continent to New Zealand only in the early 1900s.
Although some cultivars have been called with Chinese names, such as yang tao (strawberry peach), the term " Chinese gooseberry" (for the flavor and color of the pulp) became common among British and New Zealand farmers during the Second War World. On the other hand, he was known by the Americans only when their military moved to New Zealand.
Thus the kiwi was imported into California with the names " chinese gooseberry " ( Chinese gooseberry ) and " melonette ".
In 1962, New Zealand farmers began to call it " kiwifruit " to favor their commercial appeal; later, an importer based in California used the same nomenclature for the proposal on the American market.
Since then, "kiwifruit" has become the common name of the fruits produced by the genus Actinidia cultivated for commercial purposes.
