Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chevalier) C.S. Liang et A.R. Ferguson (syn.: A. latifolia (Gardner et Champ.) Merr. var. deliciosa A. Chevalier) (China) – A very rare but increasing food refuse alien. Very persistent at most of its locations but nearly always single specimens and not really becoming naturalised so far. Known since 2000 from an old wall along river Schelde (Ketelvest) in the city of Gent. Furthermore found on an old quay in the (old) port of Gent (since 2001; two specimens by now), in Brugge (Langerei, since 2001), …. Since 2006 also sometimes seen in sewers (for instance in Gent, Antwerpen,…). So far, all specimens of Actinidia deliciosa have been recorded on old walls in Belgium, usually in cracks just above the waterline. The species is dispersed in the same way as Solanum lycopersicum and Physalis peruviana and could also occur on river banks, dumps or wherever sewage sludge is deposited (see also Kasperek 2003).Up to present only non-flowering plants have been recorded in Belgium.
According to Ferguson & Nelson (1995) the occurrence of the very similar Actinidia chinensis Planch. in western Europe is rather unlikely. Kasperek (2003) provides identification aids for non-flowering individuals of both species. Molecular data seem to suggest that A. deliciosa is best subsumed as subspecies under A. chinensis (Bao Weihong & al. 2018).
Selected literature
Bao Weihong, Dawei Li & Xinwei Li (2018) DNA barcoding of Actinidia (Actinidiaceae) using internal transcribed spacer, matK, rbcL and trnH-psbA, and its taxonomic implication. New Zealand Journal of Botany 56(4): 360-371. [available online at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0028825X.2018.1491009]
Ferguson A.R. & Nelson E.C. (1995) Actinidia. In: Cullen J. & al. (eds.), The European Garden Flora, vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 26-27.
Kasperek G. (2003) Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa Liang & Ferguson) occurring in the wild in western Germany. Flor. Rundbr. 37(1-2): 11-18. [http://species-id.net/o/media/c/c1/Flor.Rundbr._37%2C11-18_Kasperek_u._G...
Li X.W. & Li J.Q. (2010) A review of the infrageneric taxonomy and nomenclature of Actinidia (Actinidiaceae). Ann. Bot. Fennici 47: 106-108.
Li X.W., Shi Q.F. & Li J.Q. (2010) Lectotypification of Actinidia latifolia var. deliciosa (Actinidiaceae). Novon 20: 57-59.
Payne R. (1997) Chinese gooseberry in W. Norfolk. BSBI News 76: 57.
Serviss B.E., Mason D.H. & Bray T.L. (2012) A first spontaneous record of Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa (Actinidiaceae) in the United States flora. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 6(2): 617-620. [available online at: http://brit.org/webfm_send/57]
Tepe E.J. & Conover D.G. (2019) The spontaneous occurence of kiwifruit, Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa (Actinidiaceae), in Ohio. Phytoneuron 2019-58: 1–5. [available online at: http://www.phytoneuron.net/2019Phytoneuron/58PhytoN-ActinidiaOhio.pdf]
Verloove F. (2002) Ingeburgerde plantensoorten in Vlaanderen. Mededeling van het Instituut voor Natuurbehoud n° 20: 227 p.
Verloove F. (2008) La flore urbaine de Dunkerque (Nord): quelques xénophytes remarquables. Le Monde des Plantes 494: 11-14.