Banana Passion Fruit
Passiflora mollisima

Family: Passifloraceae

What it is like

Passiflora mollisima is an evergreen Climber growing to 5 m (16ft 5in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 5

Where it is found

Forests in the Andes to elevations of 3400 metres.

S. America - Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia and Peru.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - raw or cooked. An agreeable flavour. An aromatic taste, it can be eaten out of hand or used as a flavouring in ice creams, fruit salads, puddings etc. A juice made from the fruit is highly prized in S. America. Individual fruits are up to 15cm long and weigh 50 - 150g.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy. One report says that this plant is hardy to climatic zone 6 (tolerating frosts of -20°c) but this is surely a misprint. The top growth is said to tolerate slight air frosts and plants are said to be hardy on a wall in the mild areas of Britain, being commonly grown around Penzance. In S. America plants can tolerate occasional lows to -5°c. Outdoor grown plants should have their roots restricted in order to reduce vegetative growth and encourage fruiting. Plants do not generally fruit well in Britain. In order to improve the chances of producing fruit it is best to hand pollinate using pollen from a flower that has been open for 12 hours to pollinate a newly opened flower before midday. Cultivated for its edible fruit in S. America. Yields of 300 fruits per vine and 30 tonnes per hectare are recorded in S. America. A climbing plant, attaching itself to other plants by means of tendrils that are produced at the leaf axils. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.

Propagating it: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow late winter or early spring in a warm greenhouse. If sown in January and grown on fast it can flower and fruit in its first year. The seed germinates in 1 - 12 months at 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. It you are intending to grow the plants outdoors, it is probably best to keep them in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Mulch the roots well in late autumn to protect them from the cold. Cuttings of young shoots, 15cm with a heel, in spring. Leaf bud cuttings in spring. Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage.

Best place to grow: South Wall. By. West Wall. By.

Habit: Climber

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Tacsonia mollissima.