passiflora seeds

The common edible passion fruit. Grown around the world, produces egg sized fruit filled with wonderfully tart, bright orange pulp. See also information on the lilikoi, a yellow variety of the fruit.

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Seeds are now available at our seed store.

Description

A vigorous vine, especially in the tropics, the passion fruit can grow over 20ft in a single year.

Hardiness

Passion fruit vines are hardy to 32F, so protect from any frosts. They can withstand short drops below 32F but foliage may die back.

Growing Environment

Pruning is a must to keep the vine healthy. Prune off less vigorous growth and occasionally prune back vigorous growth to promote flowering. The long tendrils need lots of support for climbing. When established, and without care, the passion fruit can easily overtake other garden plants, shading them from sun. Flowering occurs from April-November but may occasionally continue year-round if conditions are right. Individual flowers bloom for just 12-24 hours before closing. Flowers will self-pollinate and are followed by green fruit, turning purple when ripe. Fruits usually ripen from flowering in 80 days. The vines love full sun except in climates where the temperature frequently surpasses 100F, vines should be given shade. Water frequently and provide good drainage. Plants are short-lived, usually maintaining good productivity for 4-6 years. Harvest fruits when fruit falls from plant. Fruits are best eaten when wrinkles appear on their surface.

Propagation

General propagated from seeds which show widely variable germination rates, from a few weeks to months. Longer germination times are seen particularly if conditions are not ideal. Seeds like bottom heat of 70-80F for faster germination. Some people soak seeds in warm to hot water overnight before planting. Giberrelic acid treatment is also recommended. Once sprouted, the vines usually produce by the first year.

Germination Info

It is recommended to pretreat Passiflora seeds before planting. They contain a hard seed coat and are very slow to sprout. There are various pretreatment methods, but the simplest is to soak the seeds for 24-48 hours in warm to the touch water, just prior to planting. Optionally, seeds can be lightly scarified with sand paper to provide some permeation on the seed coat.

Once pretreated, plant seeds 1/2-1″ deep in moist, sterile soil. Keep soil temperature consistent at 70-85F, with some day/variation in this range. Cool soils will significantly delay seed germination time if not inhibit germination altogether. Standard room temperature can be too cool for proper germination.

Estimated germination time under optimal conditions: 6 weeks to 6 months.

Pulp is often eaten fresh, seeds are edible. Used as a flavoring in drinks, desserts, sauces, and many other foods. Seeds can be extracted from pulp by putting pulp in a blender on low speed. Run mixture through a strainer to retain pulp and juice.

Native Range

Native to South America, from Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. The passion fruit is now grown around the world, and sizable feral populations now occur in Asia, Australia, and Hawaii. The passion fruit is subtropical and is found at higher elevations in the tropics. In Hawaii, the passion fruit tends to grow wild above 1000ft. Despite being an important commercial crop, both types of passion fruits have become pest species in some tropical regions, particularly Hawaii and other Pacific Islands.

Additional Pictures

Related Species

Passifloraceae
Passiflora actinia Passiflora actinia	Passiflora alata Fragrant Granadilla
Passiflora biflora Two-Flowered Passion Flower	Passiflora caerulea Blue Passion Flower
Passiflora coccinea Red Granadilla	Passiflora colinvauxii Passiflora colinvauxii
Passiflora coriacea Bat-Leaved Passion Flower	Passiflora edulis Passion Fruit
Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa Lilikoi	Passiflora foetida Wild Water Lemon
Passiflora gibertii Passiflora gibertii	Passiflora gilbertiana Passiflora gilbertiana
Passiflora helleri Passiflora helleri	Passiflora herbertiana Native Passion Fruit
Passiflora incarnata Maypop	Passiflora incarnata x cinnicata Passiflora ‘Incense’
Passiflora laurifolia Water Lemon	Passiflora ligularis Sweet Granadilla
Passiflora loefgrenii Garlic Passion Fruit	Passiflora macrophylla Tree Passion Flower
Passiflora maliformis Sweet Calabash	Passiflora mollissima Banana Passion Fruit
Passiflora morifolia Woodland Passion Flower	Passiflora nitida Bell Apple
Passiflora pallens Pineland Passion Flower	Passiflora parritae Passiflora parritae
Passiflora parritae x antioquiensis Passiflora parritae x antioquiensis	Passiflora popenovii Quijos Granadilla
Passiflora quadrangularis Giant Granadilla	Passiflora setacea Sururuca
Passiflora sidaefolia Passiflora sidaefolia	Passiflora subpeltata White Passion Flower
Passiflora trifasciata Tri-Colored Passion Vine	Passiflora vitifolia Grape Leaved Passion Fruit

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Passiflora seeds The common edible passion fruit. Grown around the world, produces egg sized fruit filled with wonderfully tart, bright orange pulp. See also information on the lilikoi, a yellow

Passiflora seeds

The genus Passiflora contains over 400 species, so the common name Passion Flower can be a bit confusing. To muddle matters further, most are vines, but some are shrubs, annuls, perennials and even trees. What they all share are exotic flowers that only remain open for about 1 day. They have a wide, flat petal base with several rings of filaments in the center which surround a stalk of sorts, that holds up the ovary and stamens

Passion Flowers are also known as Passion Vine, Maypop, Granadilla and other common names.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 – 10, depending on species.
Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade. Bloom Period: Mid- to Late Summer.

Passion flowers look extremely exotic, so it’s a surprise to find them growing in fields along the sides of the road. There is considerable variety between the species. Flowers: 5 or 10 petals in a flat or reflex circle. The ovary and stamens are held atop a tall, distinctive stalk which is encircled by delicate filaments. The stigmas start out high above the anthers and slowly bend backwards to come closer for pollination. Colors include: blue, purple, pink, white and red.

A lot of gardeners prefer to grow their passion flowers in containers. Passion flower grows quite happily in a pot and you have the convenience of being able to move it to a sunnier site or even bring it indoors for the winter. Plus, it limits the spreading by rhizomes.

Passion flowers should be grown in a container that is overwintered indoors in the cool temperatures of a greenhouse or in the bright light of a home with temperature around 60 F.
For containers, use a well-drained, peat/humusy potting mix. Place containers outdoors in full sun after last spring frost date.
Best flowering in full sun, but tolerates light shade. These flowering vines appreciate high humidity, but needs good air circulation to discourage fungal diseases. Water evenly and consistently during the growing season.
Vines produce flowers on new growth, so they may be pruned as needed early in the growing season. Bring vines indoors before first fall frost date. Reduce watering from fall to late winter. Passion flower may be grown as a houseplant in a sun room or in a sunny south-facing window.

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