Passiflora ligularis – Sweet Grenadilla

Passiflora ligularis

Family: Passifloraceae

Common names: Sweet Grenadilla

Passiflora ligularis is a vigorous, evergreen climbing shrub producing stems ranging from 4 – 20 metres or more long. These stems can scramble over the ground or clamber into the surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves by means of coiling tendrils. The plant is highly valued for its edible fruit and is harvested from the wild and also widely cultivated in many areas of the tropics and subtropics. Fruit – raw or made into ices, desserts and cooling drinks. A pleasant, sweet flavour. One of the better flavoured of the passion fruits, the orange-yellow fruit contains a soft, translucent, perfumed pulp of a very agreeable taste. Claimed by many to be the best tasting of the passionfruits.

Sowing instructions:  Best sown as soon as it is ripe along with the pulp which will help break down the seed coat and speed up germination. Fresh seed germinates in 10 – 20 days. Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours in warm water and germination time can be reduced if the seed is then mixed with the juice of a fresh passion fruit (of any species). Even so, it can take 12 months for stored seed to germinate. Place the seed tray in a shady position, maintaining a temperature around 19 – 24°c.

Locality: Ex Hort. Harvest: June 2024