Are the fruits of the passion flower edible?

Are the fruits of the passion flower edible?

These passiflora form edible fruits

The table below shows the names of the most important edible Passiflora species, although the list is of course not complete. Of the more than 500 different members of this very extensive plant family, around 50 to 60 produce edible fruits. Some species are little known to us and under the local conditions only rarely develop ripe fruits, but are cultivated specifically as fruit suppliers in their home countries. Others, such as passion fruit, can also be found in our supermarkets.

also read

  • Passionflower fruits are sometimes edible
  • Passion flower: some species are poisonous
  • Passion Flower - Toxic to Cats?
Passiflora speciesPopular nameoriginblossomfruit
P. edulis forma edulisPassion fruitTropicswhite-purpledark brown-red, wrinkled skin
P. edulis forma flavicarpaPassion fruitTropicswhite-purplegreenish to yellow, larger than passion fruit
P. ligularisGrenadilla or GranadillaPeruwhite-purpledeep yellow
P. quadrangularisBarbadine, King GrenadilleWest IndiesPetals dark red, corona white-purplevery large fruits
P. alata-Peru and Brazilredyellow to light orange
P. incarnataFlesh colored passion flowerNorth Americawhite, purple, or pale pinkgreenish to yellow, about the size of a chicken egg

Better not to eat these passion fruits

The fruits of most of the Passiflora are not poisonous, but simply inedible or not very tasty. However, a few species are actually unsuitable for consumption, and in many cases unripe fruits are poisonous. Absolutely inedible (on the contrary, because they are even poisonous) are all Passiflora of the genus Decaloba and their hybrids (crossbreeds).

Use fruits for seed production

However, fruit formation is not that easy. You need to know exactly which species your passiflora belongs to and how it is pollinated - fruits with seeds only develop if the flower is pollinated at the right time. In nature, some passion flowers are fertilized by bats, others by hummingbirds or bees or butterflies. In addition, some species can be cross-pollinated, some only by their own species and a few of their own are self-pollinating. For fruit formation at home, you usually have to pick up a brush and pollinate by hand. The seeds of ripe fruits are great for propagation.

Tips & Tricks

In the case of Passiflora, you can quickly become a breeder yourself and create your own varieties, as many species can be crossed with one another.