Red- and Yellow-Fleshed Kiwi: 'Luna Rossa®', 'Minki Gold®' and Their Male Pollinators

Golden kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) offers smooth skin, tropical sweetness and earlier ripening – but without a male vine it will never set fruit

Yellow- and red-fleshed kiwifruit is one of the most interesting developments in modern fruit growing. These cultivars belong to Actinidia chinensis, a species distinguished from the familiar green kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) by smoother skin, markedly sweeter fruit and earlier ripening. The trade-off is lower winter hardiness and greater sensitivity to late spring frosts. This overview covers two female cultivars – 'Luna Rossa®' and 'Minki Gold®' – together with two male pollinators, 'M33' and 'Minkimale®', without which no crop will ever form.

4
cultivars covered
1 : 3–5
male to female in a garden
−12 to −15 °C
hardiness of A. chinensis
Sep – Nov
harvest range of the group

Why Actinidia chinensis is different

The distinction between the two main kiwi species is not merely botanical – it determines where you plant the vine and what you can expect from it. Cultivars of A. chinensis have an almost smooth skin, often with a bronze tint, lower acidity, sweeter and fruitier flavour, and they ripen earlier. In return they are more vulnerable to winter cold and break dormancy sooner, which exposes them to late frosts. The classic green kiwi A. deliciosa (for example 'Hayward') has a hairy skin, pronounced acidity, ripens late and tolerates winter better.

Important: pollen is not interchangeable between species

A female cultivar of A. chinensis needs a male vine of the same species flowering at the same time. Males bred for green kiwi flower later, and conversely, 'M33' flowers far too early for late-blooming green cultivars such as 'Hayward'. The wrong partner means unpollinated flowers and an empty trellis.

The female (fruiting) cultivars

'Luna Rossa®' – bicolour flesh

The name translates as Red Moon, and the cultivar lives up to it literally: the golden-yellow flesh carries a striking ruby-red radiating pattern in the centre, around the seeds. It is a protected, licensed cultivar from the modern group of bicolour kiwifruit.

Growth habit strong and vigorous climbing vine; a sturdy support is essential
Foliage large, heart-shaped leaves, finely felted on the underside
Fruit medium-sized, oval; smooth skin without noticeable hairs, often with a bronze tint – it can be eaten unpeeled
Flavour exceptionally sweet and tropical; reminiscent of berries (strawberry, raspberry) blended with mango, with far less acid than green kiwi
Ripening earlier than green cultivars, usually through September into October depending on site
Pollinator a male A. chinensis vine flowering at the same time – for example 'M33'
'Minki Gold®' – yellow flesh and heavy cropping

A new protected, licensed cultivar with yellow flesh. Its strengths are vigour, very high productivity and above-average disease resistance – the appeal lies not in the size of the individual fruit but in the sheer number of them.

Growth habit very strong and vigorous vine requiring a solid support
Flowering during June
Fruit smaller, cylindrical; distinctive light bronze skin which – unlike most cultivars of this species – is finely felted
Flesh and flavour yellow, sweet
Ripening late; fruit reaches maturity around November
Pollinator the recommended partner is the male 'Minkimale®' (Actinidia chinensis)

The male pollinators

A male vine will not produce a single fruit. Even so, in a kiwi planting it is the most important purchase after the cultivar itself – it supplies the pollen without which the female flowers simply drop.

'M33' – explosive flowering for early cultivars

A highly vigorous male selection of A. chinensis, developed as the ideal partner for female cultivars with yellow and red-yellow flesh.

  • Very strong, rapid growth; forms a substantial vine on a pergola or wire trellis.
  • Exceptionally profuse, so-called explosive flowering – an enormous number of blooms carrying only stamens, with no developed pistil.
  • High output of highly fertile pollen, which makes pollination far more reliable.
  • Its flowering period is perfectly synchronised with early female cultivars with yellow or bicolour flesh, such as 'Luna Rossa®' or 'Soreli'.
  • One male vine will pollinate 3 to 5 females; in commercial orchards with planned layouts a ratio of 1 : 8 is sometimes used.
'Minkimale®' – large flowers and good cold tolerance

A protected, licensed male cultivar developed primarily to pollinate 'Minki Gold®'.

  • A climbing vine that requires a sturdy support.
  • Deciduous green leaves with a firm, leathery texture.
  • Large, widely open bowl-shaped flowers – easily accessible to pollinating insects; they carry stamens only.
  • Flowering is synchronised with the female A. chinensis cultivars it is intended for, above all 'Minki Gold®'.
  • Rated as very rustic, with very good cold tolerance – a valuable trait in this generally tender species.

Winter hardiness and spring frosts

This is the decisive issue when growing yellow and red cultivars in Central European conditions. A. chinensis generally withstands winter temperatures down to about −12 °C to −15 °C, appreciably less than green kiwi. It therefore needs a sheltered, warm and sunny position – ideally against a south-facing wall – and thorough winter protection of the trunk in the first years after planting. The scales below compare indicative ranges for the individual species and illustrate the sensitivity of 'Luna Rossa®' to late frosts.

Winter hardiness of mature, well-ripened vines

A. arguta (hardy kiwi) approx. −25 to −30 °C
A. deliciosa (green kiwi) approx. −18 to −20 °C
A. chinensis – 'Luna Rossa®', 'Minki Gold®', 'M33' −12 to −15 °C

Bar width is expressed against a range of 0 to −30 °C. These are indicative figures for mature, well-ripened vines in a sheltered position; young plantings are always more vulnerable.

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Sensitivity to late spring frosts – 'Luna Rossa®' high
low sensitivity (favourable) high sensitivity (risky)

A qualitative illustration based on the cultivar description (early bud break and high sensitivity to late frosts). It is not a measured numerical value.

The four cultivars at a glance

Cultivar Function Fruit and flesh Ripening Partner
'Luna Rossa®' female, fruiting medium, oval; smooth skin, golden-yellow flesh with a red centre September – October 'M33' or another simultaneously flowering male A. chinensis
'Minki Gold®' female, fruiting smaller, cylindrical; light bronze, finely felted skin, yellow flesh around November 'Minkimale®'
'M33' male pollinator no fruit; extremely profuse flowering, high pollen output flowers early, with early females early yellow and bicolour cultivars, e.g. 'Luna Rossa®', 'Soreli'
'Minkimale®' male pollinator no fruit; large, widely open flowers, leathery foliage synchronised with 'Minki Gold®' 'Minki Gold®' and other female A. chinensis

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With kiwifruit you are not buying a cultivar, you are buying a pair. A female vine without a male of the same species flowering alongside it can grow strongly and bloom for years – and never set a single fruit.

Securing a crop: three scenarios

 No crop – the garden holds only a female vine ('Luna Rossa®' or 'Minki Gold®'). Flowers appear, but without pollen they drop.
Unreliable crop – a male is present but belongs to a different species or flowers at a different time (a 'Hayward' pollinator next to an early yellow cultivar, for instance). Pollination becomes a matter of chance.
Reliable crop – a female cultivar plus a male A. chinensis with matching flowering time, planted no more than 3 to 5 metres away, ideally on the windward side and positioned so that the canopies partly overlap at maturity.

Cultivation in three steps

1. Site and support

Kiwifruit is a vine with heavy annual growth, so it needs a genuinely solid structure – a pergola, a wire trellis or a load-bearing frame against a wall. Choose a warm, sunny spot sheltered from wind; for yellow and red cultivars a south-facing wall is almost a prerequisite. Plant the male close to the females, not at the far end of the garden.

2. Soil and watering

The vine requires slightly acidic, free-draining soil with plenty of humus. Its water demand is highest in summer, when the large leaf area transpires heavily – watering must be regular. At the same time it will not tolerate permanently waterlogged roots, so heavy, wet ground should be drained before planting or the vine set on a raised bed.

3. Pruning – females and males differ

Female vines are pruned much like grapevines, regularly and competently: the aim is to keep the shape, open the canopy to light and maintain enough fruiting wood. Kiwifruit bears on one-year-old shoots arising from two-year-old wood, so that wood is renewed continuously.

Male vines serve a different goal – the maximum number of flowers. They are usually pruned immediately after flowering, in summer, to encourage new shoots that will bloom the following year. This also keeps a vigorous male within bounds so it does not shade the female vines.

Points to consider before planting

  • 'Luna Rossa®', 'Minki Gold®' and 'Minkimale®' are protected, licensed cultivars. Vegetative propagation and resale without a licence from the rights holder are not permitted.
  • The late ripening of 'Minki Gold®' (around November) may prevent the crop from maturing fully in cooler regions with short summers and early frosts.
  • 'M33' is not a suitable pollinator for late-flowering green cultivars such as 'Hayward' – it blooms too early.
  • In the first years after planting, protect the trunk over winter (wrapping, mounding) and shield young shoots from late spring frosts.

Yellow and red kiwifruit for your garden

Female kiwi cultivars and compatible male pollinators – including 'Luna Rossa®', 'Minki Gold®', 'M33' and 'Minkimale®'. Choose a pair that flowers together and crops reliably.

Sales of the aforementioned varieties will likely begin on September 15, 2026.

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