PASSIFLORA edulis --- The Purple Granadilla

JONATHAN COX

COMMON NAME: The Purple Granadilla

HIGHER TAXA (Under Construction)

IDENTIFICATION: The Passiflora edulis is known for its sweet purple fruit. It grows to 20 to 30 in length. It is a tangled vine. That means that while it grows it will entangle all in itself. The flower was named early by Spanish Priest that noticed it while trying to Christianize the Western World. The flower will be more noticeable by examining its fruit. The fruit will appear green when unripened, and it will be a dull purple upon ripening. The flesh of the fruit is light orange, and it is a delicatessen to people in South America.

GEOGRAPHY: The plant is not found in the United States. It is native to Brazil, and it is found exclusively in tropical regions.

NATURAL HISTORY: The Passiflora edulis grows from June to November, and it is very much like all the Passion Flowers. It needs a minimum temperature of 40 degrees F. This makes it habitat mostly tropical. It will produce a fruit, upon maturity, that is sweet and edible. It needs a sunny site that is sheltered from cold winds. It does great in a silty loamy soil that is rich in compost and moldy leaves. For more info concerning the Passiflora edulis, refer to any text on fruit bearing flowers.

HOW TO ENCOUNTER: It cannot be encountered locally.

REFERENCES:

Books:

Miranda, Eve. Fragrant Flowers of the South. Florida: Pineapple Press, INC. 1991. (ISBN: 1-56164-000-X)

Wright, Michael. The Complete Handbook of Garden Plants. New York: Facts on File Publications. 1984. (ISBN: 0-87196-632-8)

Journals:

Escobar, L.K. "A New Subgenus and Five New Species in Passiflora Passifloraceae From South America." Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden

(1989): 877-885.

Kidoy L. "Anthocyan in Fruits of Passiflora edulis and P suberosa." Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (1997): 49-54.

Quesada, P. "Cold Hardiness of Passiflora Species" 52^nd Annual Meeting of the ASHA-Southern Region (1992): 1167.