Passionfruit from a passionflower?

[funkypixie]

OK this sound really stupid even as I'm typing it. When a passionflower has fruited is it a passionfruit? And even if it's not, can I eat it?

There are loads of passionflowers growing near me and the fruit look so juicy and orangish (like the colour, not the fruit) and beautiful it would seem a shame to let them go to waste if I can eat them.

So what do you think? And what could I make with them?

Can't wait to find out.

Anna x

[Muddypause]

According to my dictionary, about passionflowers, "... some species produce edible fruit", and of passion fruit, it says "an edible fruit from any of various passionflowers; esp Granadilla."

I would have thought it would be fairly common knowledge if the ones you commonly see were of the edible variety, though.

Apparently, the passionflower is so called because it tells the story of the Passion of Christ, but I've long forgotten what you look for, though.

[chadspad]

Heres a link about them and the fruit being edible

http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ksheets/passion.html

[Han&Matt]

Stew,

Whilst walking with my pa at the weekend we spotted some passion flowers (how wonderfully exotic they look) and dad explained that the black stigma (is that the word?) in the centre of the flower represented the three nails of the crucifixtion.

Maybe there is more to it, I'm not sure - he was brought up in Catholic boarding school in the 40s and seems to have a repetoire of gruesome stories conceived to bring upon maximum guilt...

(a comment on his schooling rather than his faith, sorry not meant to cause offence...).

Hannah

[funkypixie]

Thanks - I think I will investigate very gingerly! I work in a hospital so if I try it on my lunch break...well, at least I'll be in the right place!

[hedgewizard]

This sounds like the one that is always sprawling over my south-facing wall (from the neighbours' side).

Most passion flowers can only be grown indoors in the UK because they require fairly high temperatures. Since they are generally rather sprawling climbers, they are best grown as conservatory or glasshouse plants. However, when small, some species can be grown successfully as houseplants, blooming whilst still young.

The blue passion flower (P. caerulea), a native of Brazil and Peru, can be grown out of doors in Britain and is reasonably hardy if sheltered by a sunny wall. It has flowers with white or pinkish petals and sepals and a blue corona. Although it will produce fruits in this country in good years, they are not edible having very little fleshy pulp.

If that's the same one you're looking at, it'll just be disappointing. I have the perfect answer to the disappointing neighbour's plant though... I'm going to grow a kiwi fruit up my side of the wall. Watch it shade *everything* out! (And tasty fruit most years too!)

[funkypixie]

ooooh kiwi fruit.... sounds interesting.

I think I'll cut up a passion fruit and have a look and see though. It'll probably come to nothing but if I don't have a go I'll always wonder.

Thanks to all for your advice - at least I know it won't kill me now!

Anna x

[Wombat]

The neighbour planted a passionfruit near the fence, but the rootstock sprouted and made a determined attempt on the chook shed, was beaten off, regrouped and had another go

The fruit were small orange and moderately disgusting......

they did make fairly accurate missiles though!

[funkypixie]

The fruit were small orange and moderately disgusting......

Oh noes! They sound just like the fruits near me. Hope for delicious passionfruity desserts fade fast...

Anna x

[Wombat]

Good luck!

[red]

well? did you try them? cos we seem to have inherited a passionflower with orange fruit all over...

did you get gut rot?

[2steps]

I'm not much of a flower person but love passioflowers. After years and years of being told I'd never get one to grow I decide to buy one and its doing just fine. walking my dogs recently we found a passionflower hedge covered in flowers and fruits so I think mine will do fine My mum bought a passionflower to train over a trellis and it spread like mad (they live south) she thought there was something wrong with it when it started growing 'these balls' all over. think they left it behind when they moved

[red]

my aunt cut out a snippet from the telegraph to give to me - apparently the fruit of a passionflower is not the same as passion fruit. .. this little paragraph said the passionflower fruit is useless...

[hedgewizard]

Not useless, just not fleshy like the cultivated sort. It's the same difference between a crab apple and an eating apple; good for cooking and flavouring stuff, just no good for eating.

[Dave]

There used to be a passion fruit plant near me in Oxford and I'd reguarlly eat the fruit. It never tasted that great but wasn't too bad either. I did later read that they could be poisonous, I was always fine though and I'm still here.