Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis)

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is a plant species in the Passifloraceae family; it is a perennial, vigorous, yet short-lived, semi-woody vine that can reach a length of 15 meters. The stems are glabrous (smooth), grooved, and green. Tendrils emerge from the leaf axils; they are cylindrical, spirally coiled, and longer than the leaves.

The leaves possess stipules and petioles. The stipules are lanceolate and 1 cm long. The petioles are 2–5 cm long, glabrous, grooved on the upper side, and feature two circular glands near the apex. When young, the leaf blades are unlobed, but they later develop into a three-lobed (palmatifid) form with a cordate (heart-shaped) base. The leaf lobes are ovate-oblong, 10–15 cm wide and 12–25 cm long, with acuminate (tapered) tips and curved, serrated margins; each tooth is tipped with a small gland.

The flowers emerge singly from the leaf axils; they are fragrant, showy, and 7.5–10 cm in diameter. The pedicels (flower stalks) are triangular and 2–5 cm long, with three ovate to lanceolate bracts located near the apex. The calyx is tubular at the base, with five lobes that spread and curve outward. The undersides of these lobes are yellowish-green, while the upper sides are white; the margins bear up to four glands, and the tips feature a spine-like appendage. The corolla consists of five distinct, thin, white petals that alternate with the calyx lobes. The corona is composed of two outer rows of wavy, outward-extending filaments—2–3 cm long, white with purple bases—and three inner rows of short, purple-tipped papillae.

There are five stamens. The filaments fuse to form a tube surrounding a 1 cm-long gynophore, then diverge widely for another 1 cm. The anthers are large, versatile, two-celled, transverse, pale yellow, and pendulous. The ovary is situated atop the gynophore; it is ovoid, unilocular, and possesses three parietal placentae. There are three styles that extend horizontally; they are clavate, feature a longitudinal groove, and measure 1 cm in length. The stigmas are reniform (kidney-shaped) or cordiform (heart-shaped), with a diameter of 0.5 cm.

The fruit is a berry, ranging from spherical to ovoid, 4–12 cm long and 4–7 cm wide, and may be dark purple or bright yellow. The exocarp is hard and thin, the mesocarp is greenish, and the endocarp is white. There are numerous seeds, attached to the ovary wall by peg-like funiculi and surrounded by a fleshy or succulent, yellowish, aromatic, and edible aril. The testa is hard, black, and features three teeth at the base.

P. edulis grows at elevations ranging from 0 to 2,000 meters. Ideal conditions include a pH of 6–8, an annual rainfall of 900–3,000 mm (evenly distributed), and temperatures between 15°C and 32°C. The pulp is highly succulent and is consumed fresh or processed into juice, nectar, sherbet, jam, jelly, or ice cream. The fruit rind accounts for approximately 45% of the fresh weight.

The fruit pulp (per 100 g) contains 69–80 g of water, 2.3 g of protein, 2.0 g of fat (found almost entirely within the seeds), 16 g of carbohydrates, 3.5 g of fiber, 10 mg of calcium (Ca), 1.0 mg of iron (Fe), 20 IU of vitamin A, a very small amount of thiamine, 0.1 mg of riboflavin, 1.5 mg of nicotinamide, and 20 mg of vitamin C. The energy value is 385 kJ/100 g.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Passifloraceae
Subfamily: Passifloroideae
Tribe: Passifloreae
Genus: Passiflora L. in Sp. Pl.: 955 (1753)
Subgenus: Passiflora
Section: Passiflora
Species: Passiflora edulis Sims in Bot. Mag. 45: t. 1989 (1818)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Granadilla edulis (Sims) Ser. in Fl. Jard. 2: 131 (1847)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Passiflora cuneifolia Cav. in Diss. 10: t. 292 (1790)
Passiflora diaden Vell. in Fl. Flumin. 9: t. 90 (1831)
Passiflora edulis f. albida Vanderpl. & S.L.Edwards in Bot. Mag. 31: 45 (2014)
Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa O.Deg. in Fl. Hawaiiensis 250: [s.p.] (1932)
Passiflora edulis var. pomifera (M.Roem.) Mast. in Trans. Linn. Soc. London 27: 637 (1871)
Passiflora edulis var. rubricaulis (J.Jacq.) Mast. (1871)
Passiflora edulis var. verrucifera (Lindl.) Mast. (1871)
Passiflora fragrans Regel ex Mast. in J. Roy. Hort. Soc. 4: 145 (1877)
Passiflora incarnata Ker Gawl. in Bot. Reg. 3: t. 152 (1817)
Passiflora iodocarpa Barb.Rodr. in Pl. Jard. Rio de Janeiro 1: 3 (1891)
Passiflora middletoniana Paxton in Paxton's Mag. Bot. 9: t. 51 (1842)
Passiflora pallidiflora Bertol. in Syll. Pl. Hort. Bot. Bonon.: 6 (1827)
Passiflora perfecta J.R.Duncan & V.C.Davies in Nursery Cat. (Duncan & Davies) 1925: 87 (1925)
Passiflora picroderma Barb.Rodr. (1891)
Passiflora pomifera M.Roem. in Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 2: 179 (1846)
Passiflora rubricaulis J.Jacq. in Ecl. Pl. Rar. 2: t. 169 (1844)
Passiflora vernicosa Barb.Rodr. in Contr. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 3: 62 (1902)
Passiflora verrucifera Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 26(Misc.): 49 (1840)

PUBLICATIONS

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VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Grenadilla, Wildegrenadella
Angami: Bel, Belnyu
Arabic: آلامية مأكولة - فاكهة زهرة الآلام - ماراكويا
Assamese: Lata Bel
Bunun: Tukisu
Chinese (simplified): 百香果 - 紫果西番莲 - 西番莲 - 鸡蛋果
Chinese (traditional): 時計果 - 熱情果 - 百香果 - 雞蛋果
Czech: Mučenka jedlá
Danish: Passionsfrugt
English: Passion fruit, Common passionfruit
Filipino: Pasionaria, Maraflora
Finnish: Punapassio
French: Grenadille, Pomme-Liane
German: Maracuja, Passionsfrucht
Guangdong: 熱情果 - 百香果 - 雞蛋果
Hawaiian: Lilikoi, Liliko'i
Hebrew: פסיפלורה - שעונית נאכלת
Hong Kong: 熱情果 - 百香果 - 雞蛋果
Hungarian: Maracuja
Indonesian: Markisa
Italian: Frutto della passione, Maracuja
Japanese: クダモノトケイソウ - ショクヨウトケイソウ - パッションフルーツ - ミナリトケイソウ - 果物時計草
Java: Markisa
Kannada: Gadiyaarada hoo, Jumaki hoo, Kadamba hannu
Lao: ລິນມັງກອນ Linmangkon
Lithuanian: Kvapioji pasiflora
Macao: 熱情果 - 百香果 - 雞蛋果
Malaysia: Buah susu, Markisa
Mizo: Sapthei
Nepali: झुम्के लहरा Jhumke laharo
New Caledonia: Pomme-Liane
Polish: Marakuja, Męczennica jadalna
Portuguese: Maracujá
Russian: Маракуйя - Страстоцвет съедобный
Sinhala: වැල් දොඩම්
Slovak: Mučenka jedlá
Spanish: Chinola, Maracuyá, Parcha, Parchita
Sri Lanka: වැල් දොඩම්
Sunda: Pasi
Swedish: Passionsfrukt
Taiwan: 百香果
Tangkhul: Sadapor won
Thai: เสาวรส
Turkish: Maruçya
Vietnam: Chùm bap
Zulu: Uganandela

Aryo Bandoro
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