This fruit is very closely related to the granadilla, but is much
hardier than it, and can be grown to perfection much further South. It
is not injured by frost to any extent in any part of coastal Queensland,
and can be grown a considerable distance inland. It is more rightly a
semi-tropical than a tropical fruit, though, as it is so nearly related
to the granadilla, I have included it amongst the tropical fruits. It is
also a vine, and, when grown commercially, is trained along a horizontal
trellis, in a somewhat similar manner to a grape vine. It is readily
grown from seed, and will produce fruit in less than twelve months from
the time that it is planted, and will continue to bear fruit for some
years. It does best on a free, warm soil of fair quality, though it may
be grown anywhere with care, and often thrives well in very poor soils
with the addition of manure. It is found growing wild on the borders of
many of our scrubs and elsewhere, the seeds having been deposited by
birds or other agencies, and under such conditions it produces an
abundance of fruit. The fruit is of a roundish oval shape, and is of a
dark-purple colour. It is about the size of a large hen's egg, the outer
skin being hard and shell-like, and the centre filled with the seeds,
which are surrounded with a jelly-like mass and a yellowish pulp. It is
a very fine flavoured fruit, and is universally liked. It is grown in
considerable quantities in the Southern part of the State, and is one of
our commonest fruits. It has usually two crops a year--a summer and a
winter crop--but can be got to produce its fruit at any particular time
that is desired by systematic pruning at different times of the year. It
is often grown over sheds, dead trees, fallen logs, &c., which it covers
with a mass of dense green foliage, and converts what would otherwise be
an unsightly object into an ornament. The illustration herewith shows
this well, and gives a good idea of the growth of a single vine.
Commercially it is grown on trellis, so that the land between the rows
can be kept well cultivated, and also to permit of ease in the gathering
of the fruit. When ripe, the fruit drops, and the gathering is usually
from the ground. The fruit carries well, but will not keep for any
length of time, as it shrivels up. It is principally used as a fresh
fruit, though it is also made into jam or jelly, and it often forms part
of a fruit salad, taking the place of the granadilla. It has few pests,
and is one of the easiest fruits to grow.
[Illustrations: Passion Fruit, Redland Bay--Showing method of culture (1)
and part of a vine in fruit (2).]