Are you sure about that comment? Kiwi plants is one sort I know to be flowering and not hermphrodite. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinidia_deliciosa#Flowers )

I also really liked this book. The first 150 pages are a bit hard to read due to the number of new words introduced but once you get used to it and understand the important ones (and historical references) it's really enjoyable, a lot more that Cryptonomicon or the Baroque Cycle.