Passion Flower, Purple granadilla
Passiflora edulis
Family: Passifloraceae
What it is like
Passiflora edulis is an evergreen Climber growing to 9 m (29ft 6in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. 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): 9
Where it is found
Not known
S. America - Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Benin, Brazil*, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guiana, Guyana, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Niue, Norfolk Island, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Samoa, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Fruit - raw or cooked. An agreeable cooling taste, somewhat like an orange with a mixture of acid. The ripe aromatic fruit is allowed to wrinkle and develop sweetness, it is then eaten raw, juiced, made into a syrup or used in sauces, cakes etc. The fruit is about 5cm in diameter. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. Grown commercially in Australia and New Zealand.
Oil: Oil
Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.
Sweetener: includes sugar substitutes.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The pulp of the fruit is stimulant and tonic.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 1
A vigorous plant making a good screen on a fence or trellis.
Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy. Plants are not very frost tolerant and are best grown in a greenhouse. However, the roots are somewhat hardier and can survive the winter outdoors in many areas of Britain if the soil is prevented from freezing. If plants are cut down to the ground by frost they can regenerate from the base. There is also the possibility of growing plants on rootstocks of P. caerulea which might make them hardier. This species is often cultivated in warmer climes than Britain for its edible fruit, there are some named varieties. The fruit can be freely produced in Britain in hot summers. Roots of outdoor grown plants should be restricted to encourage fruiting. Any pruning is best carried out in the spring. If fruit is required 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. The flowers open in sunny weather and do not open on dull cloudy days. The flowers have the scent of heliotropes. 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. Certain cultivars are light frost resilient surviving in warmer temperate climates.
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: 9-12
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Passion Fruit, Granadilla, Aul aanp, Bai xiang guo, Buah negeri, Buah susu, Garendal, Granadiglia, Granadilho, Grenadille, Ji dan guo, Kudamonotokeiso, Liliko'i, Linmangkon, Louki, Magalendendele, Maracuja-roxo, Maracuya, Markisa, Maseche, Matunda, Munchi, Obutunda, Pasionaria, Purpurgrenadille, Qaranidila, Sawarot, Soh-brap, Tikeiso, common passionfruit, fleur de la passion, flor de la pasión, granadiglia incarnata, granadilla, grenadella, kalala, maracayú, maracujá, maracujá azedo, maracujá-comum, maracujá-de-comer, maracujá-de-ponche, maracujá-do-mato, maracujá-doce, maracujá-mirim, maracujá-peroba, maracujá-preto, maracujá-redondo, maracuya, pasiflora, passiflora, passiflorae acetum folium, passiflore, passion flower, passion fruit, passion fruit|wel dodam, passionsblume, passionsfrukt, purple granadilla, purple passionflower.