Passiflora ambigua
Hemsl.
Granadilla de monte
(c) Angel Mario Hualpa Erazo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Angel Mario Hualpa Erazo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Angel Mario Hualpa Erazo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit are eaten fresh, though some may be sour. The juicy pulp is sweet and the fruit are popular in their native region.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows naturally in the dryland forests of the Amazon in Brazil.
Amazon, Andes, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil*, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Peru, South America*, Venezuela,
How to Identify
A herb. It keeps growing for a few years. It is a climber and has tendrils. The vines have stripes along them. The leaves are leathery and 10-20 cm long. The leaf stalk is 2-4 cm long. There are 2 glands on the leaf stalk. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. They have a strong scent. The flowers are 8-12 cm across. The fruit are green and turn yellow. They are oval. They are 5-6 cm across and 7 cm long. They have a juicy pulp with a sweet flavour.
How to Grow
plants are grown from seed.
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe along with the pulp which will help break down the seed coat and speed up germination. Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours in warm water and germination time can be reduced if the seed is then mixed with the juice of a fresh passion fruit (of any species). Even so, it can take 12 months for stored seed to germinate. Place the seed tray in a shady position, maintaining a temperature around 19 - 24°c. Prick the seedlings out into individual containers as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out when large enough. Cuttings of young shoots, taken at the nodes. The cuttings root best in a neutral to slightly acid compost, but 100% sharp sand also produces good results. Cuttings of fully mature wood taken at a node. They can take 3 months. Layering. Very easy. Air layering.
Medicinal Uses
The leaves and roots of some, if not all, members of this genus contain a substance called 'passiflorina' which has similaritiesr to morphine and is an effective tranquilizer. We have no specific information for this species but many species are used in herbal infusions to calm the nerves and help bring about a restful sleep. The leaves of many species are also considered to be anthelmintic, antihysteric and diaphoretic. They are used in Brazil to combat intermittent fevers, cutaneous inflammations, and erysipelas.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Passiflora ambigua is a species of flowering plant in the family Passifloraceae. It is found in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
Other Information
The fruit are popular.
Names & Synonyms
Gagapache, Granadilla silvestre, Jujo, Marcuja-doce
References (14)
- Bot. Mag. 128: t. 7822. 1902
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 166
- http://www.botanic-gardens-ljubljana.com/en/plants
- Ibarra-Manriquez, G., et al, 1997, Useful Plants of the Los Tuxtlas Rain Forest (Veracruz, Mexico): Considerations of their Market Potential. Economic Botany, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 362-376
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 611
- Kew Plants of the World Online
- Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 46
- Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 253
- Piedra-Malagón, E. M., et al, 2022, Edible native plants of the Gulf of Mexico Province. Biodiversity Data Journal 10: e80565 p 26
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 197
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
- Segura, S., et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793
- Torre, de la, L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 485
- Ulmer, T., & MacDougal, J.M., 2004, Passiflora Passionflowers of the World. Timber Press. p 69
