Home | > | List of cultivated families | > | Passifloraceae | > | Passiflora | > | edulis |
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Description: | Vigorous, herbaceous, perennial climber, widely cultivated for its edible fruit. Stems up to 15 m long, striate, with axillary simple tendrils up to 10 cm long. Leaves alternate, up to 13 × 15 cm, more or less deeply 3-lobed, slightly leathery, glossy green or yellow-green above, paler and duller green below, with 2 glands at the apex of the petiole; margin finely toothed; linear stipules present, c. 1 cm long. Flowers solitary, up to 7 cm in diameter. Petals white. Corona with filaments up to 2.5 cm long in 4-5 rows, white, purple at base. Fruit ovoid to spherical, 4-5 cm in diameter, yellow, greenish-yellow or purplish. | |
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Derivation of specific name: | edulis: edible | |
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Worldwide distribution: | Native of southern Brazil, Paraguay to northern Argentina, cultivated and naturalized in several regions of tropical and southern Africa. | |
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Insects associated with this species: | Acraea aglaonice (Food plant) spilosoma lineata (l) | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species | |
Content last updated: | Monday 6 February 2012 | |
Literature: |
Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 262. Fernandes, R. & A. (1978). Passifloraceae Flora Zambesiaca 4 Page 409. Fernandes, R. & A. (1980). 79. Passiforaceae Flora de Moçambique Junta de Investigaçoes de Ultramar, Centro de Botanica Pages 37 - 38. Henderson, L. (2001). Alien weeds and invasive plants Plant Protection Research Institute Handbook No. 12. Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Council, South Africa. Page 64. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 66. Maroyi, A. (2006). Preliminary checklist of introduced and naturalized plants in Zimbabwe. Kirkia 18(2) Page 234. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 83. |
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