Passiflora ligularis

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit can be eaten raw or made into drinks. It has a pleasant, sweet flavour with a soft, translucent, perfumed pulp that many consider the best tasting of all passion fruits. The ovoid fruit measures about 8cm x 5cm.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It suits the tropical highlands. They grow between 1300 and 2400 m altitude in the tropics. It needs rich soil with good drainage. It cannot tolerate frost. It does not do well in very hot places. In the Andes it grows between 800-3,000 m above sea level.

Africa, Andes, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Central America*, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Malawi, Mexico, New Zealand, North America, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, SE Asia, South America*, USA, Venezuela, West Indies, Zimbabwe,

How to Identify

A vigorous climbing vine. It grows 26 m long. It is woody at the base. The fruit is larger, yellow skinned and sweeter with larger seeds than the more common purple passionfruit. Leaves are entire, heart shaped and up to 20 cm long. Flowers are pale green. They are large. They can be 8-10 cm across. The fruit have a purple tinge and turn orange when ripe. The pulp is white or translucent and sweet. The fruit are 6-7.5 cm long.

Nutrition Score: 48/100

How to Grow

It is said that this species is unsuitable for cultivation in the lowland tropics. It is usually grown at elevations between 800 - 3,000 metres in the tropics and down to sea level in the subtropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 26°c, but can tolerate 16 - 31°c. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -1°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 650 - 1,800mm. Requires a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil and a position in the dappled shade. Passiflora species tend to flower and fruit more freely when grown in soils of only moderate fertility. Prefers a circumneutral soil, disliking very acid or very alkaline conditions. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.1 - 7.5. Plants produce tendrils and climb by attaching these to other plants. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back to ground level if required to rejuvenate the plant. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Flowering Time: Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall Mid Fall. Bloom Color: Pale Pink Pale Yellow White/Near White. Spacing: 36-48 in. (90-120 cm). Passionfruit is generally self-fertile, meaning it can produce fruit from its own pollen. Depending on the climate and specific variety, passionfruit is typically harvested in late summer to early fall. The plant flowers from spring to early summer. Passionfruit is a fast-growing vine, often reaching heights of 10 to 20 feet within a single growing season under optimal conditions. It may take about 1 to 2 years to start producing fruit after planting. Perennials

Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe, together with the pulp, which helps break down the seed coat and speeds germination. Fresh seed germinates in 10–20 days. Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours in warm water; germination can be further accelerated by mixing the seed with the juice of a fresh passion fruit of any species. Even so, stored seed can take up to 12 months to germinate. Place the seed tray in a shady position at around 19–24°C. Prick seedlings out into individual containers as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out when sufficiently established. Take cuttings of young shoots at the nodes — these root best in a neutral to slightly acid compost, though 100% sharp sand also gives good results. Cuttings of fully mature wood taken at a node can take about 3 months but generally achieve a high success rate. Layering is very easy; air layering is also suitable.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Other Uses

Passionfruit can be used as a trellised vine in agroforestry systems to provide shade for other crops and ground cover. The flowers are rich in nectar and pollen and attract pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies. The fruit and seeds provide food for wildlife, and the dense foliage offers some shelter. The plant can also provide overwintering habitat for invertebrates through its leaf litter and climbing growth habit. The strong fragrance of the flowers may help confuse pests, contributing to pest management.

Passiflora ligularis, the sweet granadilla, grenadia, or sugarfruit, is a plant species in the passionflower genus Passiflora, family Passifloraceae.

Production

Fruit production is seasonal. Vines bear in 1-2 years. In southern India plants flower and fruit December to May.

Other Information

In Papua New Guinea, it is not very often seen in the highlands but it is being more widely planted. It is a cultivated food plant.

Notes

There are about 400 Passiflora species. Fruit are high in folates 64μg/100.

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