13172 Passiflora ligularis – Sweet Granadilla

Description

The sweet tasting Granadilla is the sweetest and most delicious of all passion fruits. The beautiful vine and climbing plant is from South America, where it grows in elevations of 900 to 2.600 metres. It is a strong growing plant able to develop tendrils of 6 to 10 metres length. Contrary to many other Passiflora species, the sweet Granadilla grows entire, non lobed and, with 15 to 20 cm, very large-sized leaves. The fruits developing from the purple-white flowers are bright orange and up to 10 cm large in size. The name “Granadilla” comes from Spanish meaning “little pomegranate” refering to the similarity of the two fruits. Flowers appear from June until the end of September. The plant is cultivated easily, requires sandy ground, plenty of water during summer and fertilizer the whole year through. Mature plants somtimes tolerate temperatures down to -5°C.