Passiflora edulis Sims

Purple granadilla (en), Passiflore grenadille (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Passifloraceae > Passiflora

Characteristics

Climber to ± 15 m., perennial, glabrous throughout (except ovary); stem sometimes ± angular.. Leaf-blades 3-lobed up to three-fourths, rarely unlobed, suborbicular to broadly ovate in outline, 5–11 by 6–12 cm., base acute to cordate, 3-nerved from base, subcoriaceous; lobes elliptic to oblong, up to 8 cm., top acute, shortly acuminate; margin serrate; petiole 1–4 cm.. Glands on petiole 2, wart-like, at transition to or up to 0.5 cm. below the blade; blade-glands absent.. Stipules lanceolate-linear, ± 1 cm.. Inflorescences 1-flowered, the straight peduncle (pedicel) 3–6 cm., inserted beside a simple tendril 5–20 cm.; bracts and bracteoles ovate, acute, 1.5–2 cm., glandular-serrate, forming an involucre.. Flowers 4–7 cm. in diameter, white, corona threads purplish towards base.. Hypanthium cup-shaped, ± 1 by 1–1.5 cm.; sepals oblong, 2–3 cm., corniculate.. Petals oblong, 1–2.5 cm., obtuse.. Corona composed of several series of threads, the outer 2 series 0.5–2.5 cm., the inner ones much shorter; operculum membranous, incurved, crenulate-fimbriate; disk (limen) cupuliform, entire or crenulate.. Androgynophore 6–8 mm., thickened towards base.. Filaments subsubulate, 6–8 mm.; anthers 8–10 mm.. Ovary subglobose to ellipsoid, 3–5 mm., glabrous or shortly pubescent; styles 10–12 mm.. Fruit berry-like, with coriaceous-leathery pericarp, globose to ellipsoid, excluding the 0.5–1.5 cm. long gynophore 4–5 cm. in diameter, glabrous, yellow or purplish.. Seeds many, ellipsoid, 5–6 mm.
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Climber to c. 15 m, perennial, glabrous throughout (except ovary); stem sometimes ± angular. Leaves 3-lobed up to 3/4 the blade, rarely without lobes, suborbicular to broadly ovate in outline, 5-11 x 6-12 cm, 3-plinerved, subcoriaceous, base acute to cordate, lobes elliptic to oblong, up to 8 cm, apex acute, shortly acuminate; margin serrate; petiole 1-4 cm; glands on petiole 2, wart-like, situated at transition of or up to 0.5 cm below the blade; blade-glands absent. Stipules lanceolate-linear, c. 1 cm. Inflorescences 1-flowered, the straight peduncle (pedicel) 3-6 cm, inserted beside a simple tendril 5-20 cm; bracts and bracteoles ovate, acute, 1.5-2 cm, glandular-serrate, forming an involucre. Flowers 4-7 cm diam., white, corona threads purplish towards base; hypanthium cup-shaped, c. 1 x 1-1.5 cm; sepals oblong, 2-3 cm, corniculate; petals oblong, 1-2.5 cm, obtuse; corona composed of several series of threads, the outer 2 series 0.5-2.5 cm, the inner ones much shorter; operculum membranous, incurved, crenulate-fimbriate; disc (limen) cupuliform, entire or crenulate. Androgynophore 6-8 mm, thickened towards base; filaments sub-subulate, 6-8 mm; anthers 8-10 mm; ovary subglobose to ellipsoid, 3-5 mm, glabrous or shortly pubescent; styles 10-12 mm. Fruit berry-like, with coriaceous-leathery pericarp, globose to ellipsoid, excluding the 0.5-1.5 cm long gynophore, 4-5 cm diam., glabrous, purplish or yellow; seeds many, ellipsoid, 5-6 mm.
Perennial vine to c. 15 m long, with simple axillary tendrils, glabrous except ovary. Stem terete or subangular, striate. Stipules linear-subulate, 1–1.3 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, with entire or glandular-serrulate margin. Leaves alternate, 3-lobed for more than ½ length, young leaves rarely simple and ovate; lobes widest near middle, ovate or ovate-oblong, acute or acuminate, rarely obtuse, each with a single main vein; lamina subcoriaceous, lustrous adaxially, 5–13.5 cm long, 7–12 cm wide, with 1 or 2 small cup-shaped glands near base of sinuses, base rounded or cordate, margin serrate; petiole 3–4 cm long, with two sessile or short-stipitate glands (to c. 5 mm long) near lamina. Flowers bisexual, borne singly in leaf axils, (4–) 6–8 cm diam.; pedicels 2–6 cm long; bracts 3, ovate to broadly ovate, 1–2.5 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, with serrate to lacerate margin, free. Sepals light green or white adaxially, green abaxially, 2–4 cm long, keeled, terminating in an awn 2–6 mm long. Petals white, 1.8–3 cm long. Corona of 4 or 5 series of filaments; outer 2 series purple in basal half, white and crisped in apex half, 1–2.5 cm long; inner series green and purple, 1–3 mm long. Operculum membranous, entire or irregularly lacerate at apex, 1–2 mm long. Androgynophore straight, 10–13 mm long. Stamens 5. Styles 3. Fruit an ovoid or globose berry, 5–7 cm long, 4–6 cm wide, yellow, greenish yellow or purple at matutrity. Seeds minutely reticulate.
Herbaceous vines, woody at base, ca. 6 m long. Stem slender-striate, glabrous. Leaves 6-13 × 8-13 cm, membranous, base cuneate or cordate, deeply 3-lobed, middle lobe ovate, lateral lobes ovate-oblong, margin glandular-serrate, with 1 or 2 small cup-shaped glands near base of sinuses, glabrous. Inflorescence a reduced cyme, central flower not developed, one lateral branch converted to a tendril, flower opposite tendril; bracts green, broadly ovate or rhombic, 1-1.2 cm, margin irregularly serrulate. Pedicel 4-4.5 cm, biglandular at apex. Flowers 4-7 cm in diam.; hypanthium 0.8-1 × 1-1.2 cm. Sepals green outside, light green or white inside, 2.5-4 × ca. 1.5 cm, awn 2-4 mm. Petals 2.5-3 cm × ca. 8 mm. Corona in 4 or 5 series; outer 2 series ligulate with filiform distal half, 2-2.5 cm, base light green, middle purple, apex white; inner 2 or 3 series filiform, 1-3 mm, green and purple; operculum recurved, 1-1.2 mm, margin entire or irregularly lacerate apically; disk ca. 4 mm high, membranous; androgynophore 1-1.2 cm tall; trochlea (ring-shaped enlargement on androgynophore) just above disk. Filaments 5-6 mm, flat, coherent at base; anthers light yellow-green, oblong, 5-6 mm. Ovary obovoid, ca. 8 mm, glabrous to pubescent; styles flat; stigma reniform. Fruit purple at maturity, ovoid, 3-4 cm in diam., glabrous. Seeds many, ovoid, 5-6 mm. Fl. Jun, fr. Nov.
Vigorous vine, glabrous except for pistil and stamens. Shoots slightly angular. Lvs deeply 3-lobed, but entire on young plants; petiole 1-3 cm long, with 2 sessile glands near apex; stipules 10-15 mm long, linear-subulate, entire; lamina lobes ± elliptic, submembranous, deep shining green above, rounded at base; middle lobe largest, 6-10 × 3-5.5 cm, serrate or serrulate, obtuse to acute. Fls ☿, solitary. Pedicels 4-6 cm long at flowering. Bracts 1.5-2 cm long, ovate, free, coarsely serrate. Hypanthium inconspicuous. Sepals 2.5-3 cm long, oblong, green on reverse, white inside; petals white, similar to sepals; corona threads 2-2.5 cm long, white with purple base. Filaments puckered, purple towards base, otherwise white; anthers 8-10 mm long, > filaments. Ovary puberulent. Fr. 5-6.25 × 4.75-5.75 cm, broad-ellipsoid or subglobose, dull purple; pulp orange, sweet. Seed c. 5 mm long, ovate, black, pitted.
A vine which continues to grow for several years. The main vine becomes woody. Vines can be 6-7 m long. It climbs by tendrils. The leaves are shaped like the fingers on a hand with three lobes. They are 5-10 cm long. The vine can set flowers at each leaf. The flowers are white and often tinted purple. They are 5 cm across. The fruit are oblong and thickly dotted with purple when ripe. The skin is hard and they have a sweet smell. The flesh is orange. The seed occupy most of the inside with a small amount of flesh. The flesh is edible. The seeds are black. The flowers open in the morning. There are many named cultivated varieties.
Leaf-lamina up to 13 × 15 cm., 3-lobed to below the middle of the lamina, the lobes 2–4 cm. wide, acute or acuminate, rarely subobtuse, serrate, rounded or shallowly cordate at base, subcoriaceous, pale green or yellow-green, glossy above, paler and not glossy beneath; petiole up to 4 cm. long, with 2 glands at the apex, the glands sessile or shortly stipitate; stipules c. 10 × 1 mm., linear-subulate, entire or minutely glandular-serrulate.
Corona with the filaments in 4 or 5 rows, those of the 2 outer ones 1·5–2·5 cm. long, filiform or narrowly liguliform, crispate towards the apex, white, purple at base, those of the other rows 2–2·5 mm. long, linear or dentiform.
Climber, up to 15 m high. Bracts and bracteoles conspicuous, foliaceous, forming an involucre, serrate-denticulate. Stipules lanceolate or filiform. Leaves 3-lobed. Flowers white; corona threads purplish towards base.
Plant glabrous; involucral bracts 1½-2 cm; petals white, corona filaments white with purple base; fruit ellipsoid, 4-6 cm long, purplish, sometimes yellow.
Bracts 2–2·5 × 1–1·5 cm., ovate, obtuse or acute at the apex, serrate, pectinate or almost lacerate, often glandular at margin.
Fruit 4–5 cm. in diameter, ovoid or globose, yellow, greenish-yellow or purplish.
Large herbaceous, glabrous (except ovary) perennial climber, up to 15 m.
Sepals 3–3·5 × 1 cm., oblong, horned, green outside, white inside.
Operculum membranous, incurved, entire or shortly fimbriate.
Ovary ovoid or globose, sericeo-tomentose or glabrous.
Stems ± terete, striate; internodes up to 9 cm. long.
Seeds 5–6 times; 3–4 mm., ovoid, minutely reticulate.
Petals 2·5–3 × 0·5–0·7 cm., oblong, obtuse, white.
Tendrils c. 10 cm. long, stout, simple.
Limen cupuliform, entire or crenulate.
Flowers solitary, up to 7 cm. in diam.
Peduncles up to 6 cm. long, stout.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 9.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 2.0
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

A subtropical plant. They are cultivated up to 2000 m altitude in the tropics. The purple variety grows in the highlands up to 3000 m. It can stand very light frosts. The yellow one grows in the lowlands. Its normal range is 700 to 2300 m. Often fruit set is poor in wet conditions. Wind breaks are important. Vines can tolerate very light frosts. If frosts are likely wrapping the stems near ground level with insulation paper can help protect the plant. Heavy rain at flowering can reduce fruit set through poor pollination. Soils should be fertile, moist and well drained. Plants cannot tolerate water-logging. A pH in the range 5.5-6.5 is best. In Nepal they grow between 1200-1700 m altitude. It grows satisfactorily between 20-30°C. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. In Yunnan.
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Establishing in a variety of disturbed sites as well as in habitats with moist soil such as rainforest, sclerophyll forest and coastal woodland.
Edges of rain forests. Escaped and naturalized in premontane to montane humid thickets and secondary forest growth in Mesoamerica.
Edges of rain forests. Escaped and naturalized in premontane to montane humid thickets and secondary forest growth in Mesoamerica.
Light 5-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 4-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

This is the most widely grown Passiflora species in Australia for fruit production (Killip 1938; Page 1984). It is also commercially grown for its fruit overseas, especially the U.S.A., the Caribbean and South America (Killip 1938). In Australia purple fruited forms are most commonly grown for fruit, whereas in the Americas yellow fruited forms are favoured (Page 1984; Bernacci et al. 2008). These yellow fruited forms tend to be more cold-sensitive (Ulmer & MacDougal 2004) and so purple fruited varieties are mostly grown in Australia in frost-free areas of the south. See also Lim (2012) and references therein.
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The fleshy portion of the fruit is eaten raw. Passionfruit are also used for flavouring in juices, and with other foods. It is used in sherberts, custards, cakes, sauces, pies, fruit soups, candies and ice cream. The seeds are edible. They also yield an edible oil. The tender shoots are boiled and eaten. They are added to meat curry.
Uses animal food environmental use food gene source invertebrate food material medicinal oil poison
Edible flowers fruits leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Asthma (fruit), Emetics (fruit), General tonic for rejuvenation (fruit), Vomiting (fruit), Wounds and injuries (leaf), Hysteria (root), Epilepsy (unspecified), Insomnia (unspecified), Neuralgia (unspecified), Sedative (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Cancer(Stomach) (unspecified), Cyanogenetic (unspecified), Morphinism (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown by seeds or cuttings. Seeds germinate in 15-45 days. Seedlings can be grafted. When the end shoots of the mother plant are the same thickness as the seedling stem, shoot tips 8 cm long can be used. The leaves should be removed from the cutting being used in the graft. An even light and high humidity allows these grafted plants to be ready in a few weeks. Plants are put in a hole 30 cm deep and which has had organic matter added. A spacing of 3-4 m apart is suitable. Plants need a trellis to climb over. Often a trellis 2 m high is used. Normally the side shoots are picked off until the vine reaches the trellis height. Then the tip is picked out to promote branching. Normally later pruning is not done. Putting mulch around the plant helps retain moisture and adds nutrients as well as controlling weeds. Hand pollination can improve fruit set. The fruit turns purple, wrinkles then drops off when ripe. Balanced fertiliser to promote healthy growth is important. Deficiencies of magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and boron can occur in some places. Pruning is important to keep vines vigorous.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 365
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 29
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 20 - 30
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Passiflora edulis habit picture by didier riviere (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis habit picture by Selma Kuipers (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis habit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Passiflora edulis leaf picture by Carlos Morales-Aguilar (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis leaf picture by Carlos Morales-Aguilar (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis leaf picture by campos prado suely (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Passiflora edulis flower picture by c aru (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis flower picture by Janice Janice (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis flower picture by Jean-Christophe Lombardo (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Passiflora edulis fruit picture by neves luciano (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis fruit picture by Jean-Christophe Lombardo (cc-by-sa)
Passiflora edulis fruit picture by curlybee (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Passiflora edulis world distribution map, present in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, China, Cameroon, Cook Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Spain, Fiji, Micronesia (Federated States of), Gabon, Guinea, Guatemala, Guam, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Montserrat, Martinique, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Niue, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Réunion, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, eSwatini, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, Province of China, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:321964-2
WFO ID wfo-0000479905
COL ID 4DYDM
BDTFX ID 82616
INPN ID 445877
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Passiflora verrucifera Passiflora edulis f. edulis Passiflora pallidiflora Passiflora cuneifolia Passiflora diaden Passiflora pomifera Passiflora rubricaulis Passiflora iodocarpa Passiflora middletoniana Passiflora picroderma Passiflora vernicosa Passiflora gratissima Passiflora edulis var. pomifera Passiflora edulis var. rubricaulis Passiflora edulis

Lower taxons

Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Passiflora edulis 'Norfolk' Passiflora edulis 'Black Beauty' Passiflora edulis 'Black Knight' Passiflora edulis 'Brazilian Gold' Passiflora edulis 'Edgehill' Passiflora edulis 'Frederick' Passiflora edulis 'Frosty' Passiflora edulis 'Golden Giant' Passiflora edulis 'Kahuna' Passiflora edulis 'Nancy Garrison' Passiflora edulis 'Panama Red' Passiflora edulis 'Possum Purple' Passiflora edulis 'Purple Giant' Passiflora edulis 'Red Riviera' Passiflora edulis 'Red Rover'