Ripe banana pssionfruits ready for seed harvest
Cleaned banana passionfruit seeds
The passionfruit family certainly has its surprises. ECHO East Africa has obtained seed from the banana passionfruit: Passiflora tarminiana from Kenya. Originally from the highlands of South America, this fruit is more often grown as an ornamental than for fruit. Like other passionfruit, the plant is a vine and grows vigorously but the banana passionfruit’s flowers are soft purple to red while fruits are oblong and resemble small straight bananas. The pulp may be eaten fresh, made into juice or deserts. Another great feature of the species is that it is self- compatible and should fruit regardless if pollinators present or not.
Did you know that banana passionfruits are less sensitive to the cold and are used as root-stock for other passionfruits in cooler climates?