A REVISION OF THE GENUS ACTINIDIA FROM CHINA

The ever-increasing number of supposed species of Actinidia has caused taxonomic confusion. The highly variable and diverse vegetative and reproductive characters in the genus are mainly responsible for the taxonomic difficulties. Most of the putative species since H.L. Li’s revision often are only slightly different from previously described species, and some refer to only a few specimens, sometimes just a single or even fragmentary specimen. Additionally, Liang (1984) mistakenly interpreted some taxa. The taxonomy of the genus needs further revision based on extensive examination of specimens and careful examination in the herbarium and in the field. We examined specimens in the main herbaria of China. We observed some species in the repository of the Wuhan Botanical Garden, CAS and the Guangxi Institute of Botany, finally recognizing 48 species of the genus Actinidia in China.