Passion fruit
Passiflora edulis
There are two varieties in the vine species of Passiflora edulis. One is a shallow-rooted, woody, perennial that possesses many tendrils. The other variety is deeply-rooted. The young tendrils are finely-toothed and typically have a red or purple hue. (purdue)
Usually the vine produces a single flower 5-7.5 cm wide at each node. The flower has 5 oblong, green sepals and 5 white petals. The sepals and petals are 4-6mm in length and form a fringe. The base of the flower is a rich purple with 5 stamens, an ovary, and a branched style. The styles bend backward and the anthers, which are located on top of the styles, have a very distinct head.
The berry produced is fleshy and spherical. It is 1-1.4 cm long and 9-13 mm thick with a thick layer of pith. The outside color of the berry ranges from hues of dark-purple to black with fine white specks light yellow in color. Within the berry, there is typically 250 black seed 2.4 mm in length. The seeds are surrounded by a membranous sac filled with pulpy juice. The flavor of the juice is slightly acidic and musky. The passion fruit's flavor can be compared to that of the guava fruit.







