Shrub · Passifloraceae
Passionfruit
Passiflora edulis
Give it full sun, sharp drainage, and a strong trellis, and this fast vine rewards you with fragrant fruit.
Full sun
Every 2–4 days
50–86°F · 10–30°C
70–75 days
Overview
Passionfruit is a fast, tendril-climbing vine that races up a trellis and pays you off in fragrant, jelly-filled fruit. It hails from the warm country running from Brazil down into northeastern Argentina, and it brings that appetite with it, driving hard for heat, humidity, and steady moisture. Feed it those and it can throw more than 35 feet of growth in a single year, so a sturdy trellis or fence is the first thing to get up.
Two main forms are worth getting to know. The purple type fruits on its own and shrugs off cooler, higher ground, while the yellow type runs larger, wants a partner to set fruit, and charges ahead in warm lowlands. Growers often graft the purple onto yellow roots to grab the best of both, since the yellow form powers past the soil diseases that flatten purple vines on their own roots.
That moderate rating is nothing to fear once you learn its rhythm. The vine mostly grows itself and only really leans on sharp drainage to dodge root rot, plus a sharp eye for the wilts and viruses that can hit fast. Keep the soil moist but never soggy, cut it back each spring, and the fruit ripens about 70 to 75 days after the flowers open, which is a thrill to watch happen.
Care
The short version: full sun, fertile soil with sharp drainage, and small, frequent waterings to keep it evenly moist. Give it a strong trellis to charge up, feed it through the growing season, and cut it back early each spring so it flowers on fresh wood.
Light
Passionfruit craves full sun to flower and fruit hard, though it will scrape by in partial shade with less to pick. Plant it where it soaks up a strong dose of direct light and the vine rewards you with a heavier haul.
Water
Hit it with small, frequent waterings to keep the soil evenly moist, roughly every 2 to 4 days, but never let it sit soggy. Sharp drainage is the whole game here, since standing water at the roots invites the rot that kills vines outright.
Soil
Get it into moist, fertile, well-drained sandy loam that whisks water through fast. A pH between 6.0 and 7.5 suits it, so the soil can run slightly acidic to slightly alkaline and it powers on regardless.
Temperature
It grows best in the warm band from 50°F to 86°F (10°C to 30°C) and folds fast at frost. A hard cold snap into the mid-20s°F can drop a vine to the ground, so hold it in zones 9 through 12 or haul containers indoors.
Humidity
This vine loves the air on the humid side, around 50% to 80%, matching its tropical roots. Dry air stalls it, so a humid spot or steady moisture around the plant keeps it charging along.
Feeding
Push a balanced fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks through the growing season, spring into fall. Back off the nitrogen after the first year, or you grow a wall of leaves and forfeit the fruit.
Pruning
Prune early in the growing season, since the vine only flowers on new growth. Cut out the dead, weak, or crowded stems and shorten it hard to rein in the vigor and keep the fruit within reach.
Repotting
Grown in the ground, it rarely needs repotting at all. In a container, bump it up a pot size each spring when the roots circle, the vigor drops, or the soil dries out almost as fast as you water it.
Size & spacing
This is a big, hard-charging vine, climbing 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 m) and spreading 3 to 10 feet (90 cm to 3 m) wide. Give it a strong trellis or fence and plenty of room, because it can throw all that growth in a single fast year.
When to plant
Passionfruit thrives on warmth and shuts down at frost, so play the calendar right. Fire up fresh seed indoors in late winter to early spring, drive the young vines outside in spring once the soil warms and the cold clears, and the fruit ripens from midsummer through fall, about 70 to 75 days after each flower opens.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: late winter to early spring; sow fresh seed, which germinates in 2 to 3 weeks
- Plant: spring after the last frost once soil is warm
- Harvest: flowers spring through fall; fruit ripens about 70 to 75 days after flowering, peaking midsummer through fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 9–12
Temperature: down to -7°C
Troubleshooting
Most passionfruit trouble breaks out as a sudden wilt, chewed leaves, or fruit that hardens and turns woody. The fast-moving root and crown diseases are the ones to catch early, so stay on top of them. Match what you see below, then jump on it before it runs down the trellis.
The whole vine wilts and drops without warning
A thriving vine that suddenly caves usually has Fusarium canker or Phytophthora crown rot attacking the base, so move fast. Dig in at the crown for dark, sunken lesions and check the roots for soft, mushy tissue. An infected vine is finished, so pull it, sharpen up the drainage, and come back swinging with purple stock grafted onto yellow flavicarpa rootstock, which powers right through the disease.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy affected vines
- Improve drainage and stop overwatering
- Graft purple scions onto yellow (flavicarpa) rootstock for resistance
Hard, woody fruit and mottled leaves
Thick-rinded, lumpy fruit paired with a mosaic pattern on the leaves signals woodiness disease, a potyvirus that aphids ferry from vine to vine. Nothing brings an infected plant back, so act decisively. Pull it, destroy it, hit the aphids that spread it, and replant on fresh ground with clean, virus-free stock.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected vines
- Control aphid vectors
- Replant with virus-free stock
Leaves chewed to lace, sometimes trailing fine webbing
Two feeders go after the foliage, and both are easy to beat. Caterpillars, the larvae of the butterflies this vine feeds, chomp the leaves right down to the veins, while spider mites spin fine webbing and leave a dusty, stippled cast underneath. Pluck the caterpillars off, hit the mites with a jet of water or horticultural oil, and turn the natural predators loose to finish the job. A vigorous, well-spaced vine springs right back.
Fix:
- Handpick caterpillars
- Spray water or horticultural oil to knock back mites
- Encourage natural predators
Toxicity
The ripe fruit is safe and delicious, and that is the part to chase, but the rest of the plant stays off the plate. Leaves, vines, and unripe green fruit hold cyanogenic glycosides that can release cyanide when chewed, a mild hazard for pets and a solid reason to keep curious children away from the foliage. Stick to the ripe pulp and there is nothing to worry about.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
A cat that goes after the leaves or a green unripe fruit may drool and bring its food back up, plus turn a bit sluggish once it eats past a mouthful. The ripe pulp is off the hook here, since the foliage does the damage.
Dogs Mild
A dog that chomps the vines or green fruit usually drools and gets an upset stomach. Pile on a big helping of leaves and it can turn sluggish or short of breath, so ring the vet at that point.
Horses Mild
A horse that grazes the foliage or unripe fruit can go off its feed and turn dull. Blame the cyanogenic compounds in the leaves, never the ripe fruit itself.
Rabbits Mild
Never hand rabbits the leaves or vines, which pack the same cyanide-releasing compounds. A small taste of ripe pulp now and then, though, does them no harm at all.
Livestock Mild
Cattle, goats, and sheep that browse the leaves and green fruit can wind up with digestive upset and low energy. Keep them clear of the vine, but the ripe fruit poses no real threat.
Birds Mild
Keep foliage and unripe fruit well away from pet birds because of the cyanogenic content. A little ripe pulp now and then makes a fine occasional treat.
People Ripe fruit safe
Dig into the ripe passionfruit pulp, a kitchen favorite that is perfectly safe to eat. Just steer clear of the leaves, vines, and green unripe fruit, and keep children from chewing them too.
Skin contact is not a concern; wash hands after pruning. Keep curious pets and children from chewing leaves, vines or unripe green fruit.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Passionfruit shows up in a handful of forms, split first by fruit color and then by named picks. Here are the ones you are most likely to grab.
Purple passionfruit (Passiflora edulis)
The self-fertile purple-fruited form that thrives in the cooler air of high-elevation tropics.
Yellow passionfruit (P. edulis f. flavicarpa)
It pumps out larger yellow fruit, wants a second vine to pollinate, powers ahead in warm lowlands, and doubles as the disease-resistant rootstock growers graft the purple form onto.
Possum Purple
A vigorous purple-fruited selection that has raced to the top as a favorite across Florida.
Frederick
A partly self-fertile hybrid that delivers large fruit blushed with purple.
Companions
Passionfruit grows well alongside a few plants that draw pests away from the vine base, keeping aphids and nematodes off the roots and stems.
Plant near
Marigold: Interplanting near the vine base can help deter nematodes and some pests.
Nasturtium: Acts as a trap crop that lures aphids away from the vine.
How to propagate
Passionfruit fires up several ways, from a scoop of fresh seed to grafts and layers that copy a vine exactly. Which one you grab comes down to whether you want speed or an exact clone of a favorite plant.
SeedEasy
Spring; sow fresh seed soon after removing it from the fruit · Germinates in 2 to 3 weeks; fruiting within about a year
Seed is the quickest, most popular way in. Scoop it straight from a ripe fruit, sow it fresh in spring, and watch it burst up in 2 to 3 weeks, with the first fruit rolling in inside about a year. The yellow form gets raised this way all the time to serve as seedling rootstock.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Warm season · Roots in several weeks
Chasing a named cultivar that comes back true to type? Take semi-hardwood cuttings in the warm season. They root over several weeks and lock in the parent's traits, which seed-grown plants can not always pull off.
GraftingDemanding
Warm season · Weeks to months
Grafting is the ambitious play, joining a purple scion onto yellow flavicarpa rootstock during the warm season. It takes weeks to months to knit, but the payoff is a vine that shrugs off Fusarium and nematodes far better than the purple form on its own roots.
Air layeringModerate
Growing season · Several weeks to root
Air-layering is a sure-fire way to clone a vine you already love. Wound a stem in the growing season and it fires out roots over several weeks while still attached to the parent, so the new plant is charging ahead before you ever cut it free.
Myths
Every part of the passionfruit plant is poisonous, so the fruit is unsafe to eat.
Not so, since the fully ripe pulp is edible and eaten the world over. Only the leaves, vines, and unripe green fruit carry cyanogenic glycosides that can release cyanide when chewed. Eat the ripe fruit freely and leave the foliage alone.
The ASPCA Purple Passion Vine warning applies to edible passionfruit.
That ASPCA page actually covers Gynura aurantiaca, a totally different plant the ASPCA lists as non-toxic. It is not Passiflora edulis, so the warning never touched the fruit-bearing vine to begin with.