The passion flowers, which can vary greatly in appearance, habit and care, belong to a large family of plants: there are an estimated 530 different species, most of which are native to Central and South America and Australia.
Only about 60 species produce edible fruit
All Passiflora produce fruit, although only those of about 60 species are actually edible. In this case, however, "edible" does not always mean "tasty", because the fruits of some species are rather questionable from a culinary point of view. Other species, on the other hand, develop inedible or even poisonous fruits.
Passiflora species with edible fruits
In the table below you will find a list of the edible fruits of popular Passiflora species.
| passiflora | German name | origin | blossoms | pollination | fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P.edulis | passion fruit | Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina | white-violet | self-fertile | brownish red |
| P. quadrangularis | giant grenadilla | Central America, West Indies | red, white-violet | self-fertile | only in the greenhouse / conservatory |
| P. ligularis | grenadilla | Brazil, Peru, Venezuela | light purple | cross-pollination | orange |
| P. alata | Winged passion flower | Peru, Brazil | Red | cross-pollination | yellow / light orange |
| P. incarnata | Flesh colored passion flower | Bahamas, Southern USA, Brazil | white-light purple | self-fertile | greenish yellow |
| P.caerulea | Blue passion flower | Argentina, Brazil | blue White | self-fertile | edible but not very tasty |
| P.coccinea | Red passion flower | Brazil, Peru, Venezuela | bright red | cross-pollination | yellowish green |
| P. vitifolia | Vine-leaved passion flower | Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru | bright red | cross-pollination | spherical |
No fruit without pollination
Botanically, the passion flower forms berries because the fruit develops from a single ovary. It takes about two to three months from flowering to maturity, whereby a harvest can only take place after successful pollination. However, only a few passion flowers are self-fertile, i. H. due to hermaphrodite flowers, self-pollination is possible. However, most Passiflora are dependent on cross-pollination or cross-pollination. In this case, you need at least a second plant that is not genetically related to the one to be pollinated. It is therefore not possible to fertilize a Passiflora with a clone, such as a self-grown cutting. To be on the safe side, it is best to pollinate yourself by hand using the proven brush method - passion flower blossoms are often only fertile for a few hours.
tips and tricks
Even if you have a Passiflora with inedible fruit, fruit production can be worthwhile. In fact, this way you can propagate your plant yourself and thus create a large number of plants that are genetically different from each other.