Passiflora edulis (passion fruit, "Kudamonotokeiso")

Japanese name: クダモノトケイソウ （果物時計草）
Scientific name: Passiflora edulis

[Overview]
An evergreen climbing perennial.
The vines become woody with age.
Leaves are simple and alternate, 10–18 cm long, deeply palmately 3-lobed, and glossy.
The leaf margins are serrated.
At the base of each leaf is a tendril 20–40 cm long, with which the plant clings to other things.
A single flower about 5–7 cm across grows from each leaf axil.
The flower has 5 sepals and 5 petals, white to pale purple, and the many thread-like coronal filaments inside are conspicuous.
The coronal filaments are purple at the base and white at the tip.
The 5 radiating stamens and the 3 stigmas are large and conspicuous.
The fruit is an oval to round berry, 5–10 cm long, ripening dark purple, though some cultivars ripen yellow.
The flesh (aril) is orange and jelly-like, surrounding the seeds.

[Uses]
The jelly-like flesh (aril) inside the fruit is sour and fragrant, and is used fresh, in juice and so on.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It grows at 20–30°C; if the temperature falls below 20°C during flowering, fruit is less likely to set even when pollination has occurred.
In warm regions such as Shikoku and southern Kyushu and further south, it can be grown outdoors.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained soil, and should be protected from cold winter winds.
With poor sunlight the plant becomes weak and the fruit becomes small.
Beware of excess moisture; from spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and keep it on the dry side in winter.
During flowering and fruiting, water shortage causes buds, flowers and fruit to drop, so water sufficiently.
From spring to autumn, apply as fertilizer placed on the soil a slow-release chemical fertilizer with equal proportions of the three components or one slightly higher in phosphate.
The vines grow vigorously during the growing season, so it is best to train them and trim overgrown branches once every 1–2 weeks to prevent tangling.
Hand-pollinating with a brush or similar when the flowers open raises the fruit set rate.
Pests and diseases include seedling damping-off, aphids and scale insects.

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