Side by side
Kiwi fruit or grapevine? How to tell them apart
Actinidia deliciosa · Vitis vinifera
How to tell them apart – kiwi fruit: vigorous twining climber with large, round leaves on red-haired stalks, and hairy kiwi fruits; grapevine: lobed leaves and tendrils.
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How do you recognise them?
- Kiwi fruit
- Vigorous twining climber with large, round leaves on red-haired stalks, and hairy kiwi fruits.
- Grapevine
- Palmately lobed, coarsely toothed leaves, tendrils opposite the leaves and bunches of grapes.
- Compared with kiwi fruit: lobed leaves and tendrils.
| Kiwi fruit | Grapevine | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 10–20 cm, round to heart-shaped, felted underneath, with reddish-brown hairy leaf stalks and shoots. | Alternate, 3–5-lobed, coarsely toothed, 10–20 cm. |
| Flowering | Creamy white flowers (4 cm) in May–June; separate male and female plants (May–June). | Small, greenish, fragrant flowers in clusters (June) (June). |
| Fruit | Kiwi fruits, only on female plants with a male nearby; harvest in October–November and leave to ripen further. | Grapes in bunches, green to bluish-black (September–October). |
| Bark | Twining, reddish-brown hairy stems that become woody. | Older stems with bark that peels in long strips. |
| Shape and height | Climber, twines to 8–10 m | Climber, up to 10 m, usually pruned short |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, normal | Full sun, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Little | Yes, for birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | July and December–February | June–July and December–January |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have: see the growing conditions in the table.
Read on
- Plant profile: Kiwi fruit
- Plant profile: Grapevine
- Kiwi fruit: when and how to prune
- Grapevine: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.