Practical
Plants

Passiflora mollisima

Banana Passion Fruit

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Taxonomy and growth

Foliage
evergreen
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
5 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[8][2]. An agreeable flavour[5]. An aromatic taste, it can be eaten out of hand or used as a flavouring in ice creams, fruit salads, puddings etc[3]. A juice made from the fruit is highly prized in S. America[3]. Individual fruits are up to 15cm long and weigh 50 - 150g[4].

Plant part
Fruit

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Climber

Environment

Range
S. America - Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia and Peru.
Habitat
Forests in the Andes to elevations of 3400 metres[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow late winter or early spring in a warm greenhouse. If sown in January and grown on fast it can flower and fruit in its first year[11]. The seed germinates in 1 - 12 months at 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. It you are intending to grow the plants outdoors, it is probably best to keep them in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Mulch the roots well in late autumn to protect them from the cold. Cuttings of young shoots, 15cm with a heel, in spring[1]. Leaf bud cuttings in spring. Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage[7].

Cultivation

Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy[1]. One report says that this plant is hardy to climatic zone 6 (tolerating frosts of -20°c)[6] but this is surely a misprint. The top growth is said to tolerate slight air frosts[11] and plants are said to be hardy on a wall in the mild areas of Britain, being commonly grown around Penzance[9][10]. In S. America plants can tolerate occasional lows to -5°c[4]. Outdoor grown plants should have their roots restricted in order to reduce vegetative growth and encourage fruiting[1]. Plants do not generally fruit well in Britain[11]. In order to improve the chances of producing fruit it is best to hand pollinate using pollen from a flower that has been open for 12 hours to pollinate a newly opened flower before midday[11]. Cultivated for its edible fruit in S. America[8][4]. Yields of 300 fruits per vine and 30 tonnes per hectare are recorded in S. America[4]. A climbing plant, attaching itself to other plants by means of tendrils that are produced at the leaf axils. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  4. Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-309-04264-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  7. Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7

    ↩

  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  9. Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.

    ↩

  10. Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.

    ↩

  11. RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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