Passiflora edulis

Passiflora edulis Sims in Curtis

Family     :Passifloraceae 

Common Name : പൂനക്കായ്(Mal)

   कृष्णा फल(Hin)

                                 Passion Fruit (Eng)

The passion fruit is round to oval, yellow or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The fruit can be grown to eat or for its juice, which is often added to other fruit juices to enhance aroma. The unique flavor is appealing, musky, guava-like and sweet/tart to tart.

Climbing shrubs. Leaves alternate, palmately 3-lobed, 9.5 x 8.2 cm, lobes oblong, apex acute or acuminate, margin serrulate, glabrous, basally 3-nerved; petiole to 1.6 cm long; stipules filiform, ca. 4 mm long; tendrils simple, filamentous. Flowers axillary, solitary, white. Calyx lobes oblong, green, 4-6 mm long. Petals inserted at the throat of calyx tube, pale green, oblong, as long as the sepals; corona of two series of filiform filaments, pale green tinged with violet, as long as the sepals. Gynophore ca. 2 mm long, tubular. Stamens 5. Ovary 1-celled; ovules many; styles 3, recurved; stigmas capitate. Berry globose, ca. 4-5 cm across, greenish-yellow, yellow or pale purple.