IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service
There are dozens of species of passion vine grown, but one that
always gets a lot of attention in the landscape is the Giant Granadilla
Passiflora quadrangularis. This giant vigorous form of the passion
vine has large five to seven inch leaves arranged alternately on the stem
and this can grow as much as fifty feet or more in one growing season.
The stems are quadrangular in cross section and this is where the
variety derives it's botanical name. During the warm season, large five
inch beautiful red and purple fragrant flowers are produced that because
of their weight hang down rather than stand up where you can see them easily.
For best fruiting, flowers should be hand pollinated and the fruit grow
rapidly up to a length of a foot and turn light yellow to medium yellow
when mature.
This fruit can be used when it's green as a vegetable, and in the
tropics is often boiled and eaten that way. When fully ripe, the flesh can
be eaten too, either alone or in combination with such fruits as papaya
and pineapple. The pulp around the seeds, although it's not as good a quality
as some of the smaller passion fruits, is used to flavor ice cream and to
make cooling drinks.
Vines are easily propagated by the seed collected from fruit, or
it can be propagated under mist from soft cuttings. Most passion vines grow
well over a variety of soil types, but might suffer micro-nutrient deficiencies
on highly alkaline soils. Most passion vines benefit from annual pruning
to control their size and to produce young juvenile wood which produces
more flowers and potential fruit. Do not allow passion vines to climb trees
in the landscape since they often will get dense enough to shade the tree
excessively and to cause it to decline.
© 2000 BGCII Page posted March 2004
