Are the fruits of wild passion flower vines edible? I have several vines
that have come up and have those beautiful purple flowers and have put on
several fruits. The fruits are kind of round, a little smaller than a kiwi,
and right now they are green. How do you tell when they are ripe?

Thanks,
Gloria


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Gloria wrote:

Are the fruits of wild passion flower vines edible? I have several vines
that have come up and have those beautiful purple flowers and have put on
several fruits. The fruits are kind of round, a little smaller than a kiwi,
and right now they are green. How do you tell when they are ripe?

Thanks,
Gloria


Yes they are edible (called "maypops") but I've never actually seen them
so I don't know how to tell when they're ripe. Maybe the color changes
a little, or they soften a bit, or start to smell fruity.

Bob

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 08:12:28 -0500, "Gloria" wrote:

Are the fruits of wild passion flower vines edible? I have several vines
that have come up and have those beautiful purple flowers and have put on
several fruits. The fruits are kind of round, a little smaller than a kiwi,
and right now they are green. How do you tell when they are ripe?

I've been watching some on my back 40, and they've been doing great this year.
They're about as big as oranges this year, but they're not ripe yet. The problem
is that plenty of wildlife likes them too, so when they start to ripen, they
disappear quickly. I do like the smell of them. They will stay green even after
they ripen, though.

Generally fruits that smell sweet are edible. (Those little things called
adaptation and survival of the fittest have taught them that the more
animals that eat the fruit, the more widely dispersed the seed will be).
(Kind of makes you wonder who was the first brave soul to eat a rhubarb
stalk - and if the person who ate the leaf first and croaked discouraged the
guy right behind him). As I recall from my florida days, the fruits of the
maypop start out dark green and gradually lighten until they are almost
yellow. By then, critters are discovering them, and at a minimum, birds will
be pecking at their skins to get at the sweet juice inside.
"Gloria" wrote in message
...
Are the fruits of wild passion flower vines edible? I have several vines
that have come up and have those beautiful purple flowers and have put on
several fruits. The fruits are kind of round, a little smaller than a
kiwi,
and right now they are green. How do you tell when they are ripe?

Thanks,
Gloria


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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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Gloria, here are items i have collected regarding Passion Flowers that
may or may not be of interest to you, some of it coming from folks in
this group who i think are very knowledgeable and don't think they
will mind me having copied and putting it here again.
"Addictions; headaches; sedative
~~~
8/6/94leo said:
i have been harvesting the flowers from my beautiful vine this past
few days and wondered whether it would be best to tincture or just dry
and maybe powder??? Also which should be used young or mature leaves?
I sometimes have difficulty going to sleep especially when the NSAIDS
are not working and thought it might be nice to have a cup of hot tea
to ease me off to sleep.. think i will trot in and try it out tonight
with the blossoms. I don't know how it tastes yet as haven't tried
before with just the Passion Flower alone.

Leo: Depending on how much passionflower vine you have, go ahead and
harvest any and all above-ground parts, including flowers and leaves.
If your plant is small, take the flowers and newer leaves at the ends
of the
vines and leave the older parts of the vines to sprout new growth.
Just dry it and use as tea. I would not powder it -- doesn't seem to
be as active that way. You could also make a tincture, which is really
nice to have year round. This is one of my favorites! --Susan in La
Florida
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subject: Passion Flower? Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 07:15:14 GMT..
From: (Henriette Kress)
On Wed, 21 Jul 1999 00:16:42 GMT, wrote in
alt.folklore.herbs:

Which of the following types of passion flower is good for use in
making a nighttime sedative tea?
Passiflora caerulea ***; Passiflora citrina; Passiflora coccinea;
Passiflora incarnata; Passiflora laurifolia; Passiflora 'Coral Glow';
Passiflora 'Star of Bristol'

All of them. Henriette
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
***FYI, from: http://onhealthnetworkcompany.com/ch...em%2C16037.asp
"Many herbalists recommend using only professionally prepared
remedies; another species, Passiflora caerula, contains cyanide,and
there is some fear that this may be used instead."
~~~~~~~
PASSIFLORA (Passionflower) Antispasmodic and muscle relaxant for
neurogenic pain, agitation, insomnia; arterial sedative, especially in
EHT in the strong, sthenic middle-aged patient.
WHOLE HERB. Tincture [Fresh Plant 1:2, Dry Herb, 1:5, 50% alcohol] 1/2
to 1 1/2 teaspoon to 3x a day.
CONTRA: Bradycardia, hypotension, major sedatives.
[From HERBAL TINCTURES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, 3.0 Copyright 1996 by
Michael Moore.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PASSIFLORA, PASSION FLOWER: http://world.std.com/~krahe/html2b.html
Passiflora incarnata (Passifloraceae)
HISTORY AND USES: Passiflora is natural from the north America. Its
name comes from its beautiful flowers, thought to represent Christ's
crucifixion - 5 stamens for the 5 wounds, 3 styles for the 3 nails and
white and purple-blue colors for purity and heaven. The herb has
valuable sedative and tranquilizing properties and has a long use as a
medicine in Central and North American herbal traditions, being taken
in Mexico for insomnia epilepsy and hysteria. The leaves are an
ingredient in many pharmaceutical products to treat nervous disorders
such as heart palpitations, anxiety, convulsions and sometimes high
blood pressure. It is also used to prevent spasms from whooping cough,
asthma and other diseases.

MAIN PROPERTIES: Anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, hypotensive
sedative, tranquilizing.
~~~~~~~~~
Subject: Attracting butterflies Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 From:
mr byrd Newsgroups: austin.gardening
Check out this excerpt from ransomgardens.com:

Basic Passionflower Care by Sally Ransom: Passionflowers are generally
very easy to care for. They prefer full sun and very good drainage.
These beautiful vines are versatile and can be grown either in the
ground or in a pot. Many do very well in a 10" pot. However, if you
wish to control the size of your potted passionflower you can do so by
varying the size of the pot. A small pot produces a medium or small
plant, while a large pot produces a large plant. On the other hand,
some passionflowers can easily grow up to 50 feet in length if planted
in the ground and would need pruning to control the size. Be careful
to avoid over-watering. passionflowers do not like to be waterlogged.
This condition can kill the plant.

Growing from Seed : Many passionflowers can be grown easily from seed.
For best results, use the nick-and-soak method. Use a fine grade
sandpaper or a nail file to carefully sand down a small part of the
seed coat or use a fingernail clipper to nick the side of the seed
coat. Next, soak the seed in warm water for 24 hours. A thermos bottle
can help to retain the water's warm temperature or you could change
the water whenever it becomes cool. After the seed has been soaked,
sow it in a soiless mixture and cover lightly. Sown seeds should be
kept in a warm, brightly lit spot and the planting medium should be
kept moist not wet. Sowing the seeds with passionflower pulp can also
aid germination, as the acid in the pulp will help to break down the
seed coat. However, Passionflower seed germination rates vary. Some
sprouts appear in two weeks, some in a year.

Flowers: Keep in mind that almost all passionflowers are perennials
and being so, some plants must be at least one year old before they
flower. If you feel the need to fertilize, a balanced fertilizer will
do (such as 14-14-14). Sometimes adding compost helps, too. For the
most part, an established plant will flower readily. Unfortunately,
each bloom will last only one day. A few things that can hinder
flowering are over-watering, low light, or a root-bound condition.

Fruit: Aside from its beautiful flowers, passionflowers are also
prized for their delicious fruit. For a Passionflower to set fruit,
the flower must be pollinated. Should your vine be visited by flying
insects often, these visitors will most likely pollinate the flowers
for you. If this is not the case then you may have to hand-pollinate
flowers. This is a quick and simple process. You can use a paintbrush
or cotton swab to transfer the pollen from the stamen to the stigmas,
or you can snip a stamen and use tweezers to hold it and wipe the
pollen onto the stigmas. If your flower remains attached to the vine
after it has closed the next day, then it has most likely been
pollinated. A flower that has fallen to the ground after it has closed
is not pollinated. Fruit will typically develop over a few months. A
ripe fruit will have changed from it's initial color and fallen from
the vine. ---© Ransom Gardens, www.ransomgardens.com
~~~~~~~~~~
Passionflower Passiflora incarnata
Other Names: Maypops, Apricot-vine, Passiflore rouge, Passionsblume,
Purple Passion-flower, Passion Vine

Habitat: (Passiflora incarnata) Eastern N. American native perennial
vine. Virginia and Kentucky, south to Florida and Texas. Found growing
in sandy thickets and open fields, roadsides, fence rows and waste
places. Cultivation: Passionflower is easily cultivated through root
division or by seed, transplants from the wild do well, it requires a
well-drained soil, sandy slightly acid soil in full sun. A trellis
should be provided, since it is a tendril climbing vine. Passionflower
has many beautiful large and aromatic flowers, it grows very quickly
and produces edible fruit and medicinal uses. It has large three lobed
serrated leaves with beautifully intricate purple and white
sweet-scented flowers that are from 2 to 3 inches across. Flowers
bloom from June to August. The passion fruit, when ripe is
yellow-green and the size of a small hen's egg. The yellow pulp is
sweet and edible. Gather the herb, above ground after some of the
fruit have matured, dry for later use. Gather edible fresh, juicy,
fruit when soft and light yellow-green.

Properties: Passionflower is edible and medicinal. Delicious edible
(high in niacin), the fruit and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked in
jellies, jams, young leaves are used as a cooked vegetable or eaten in
salads. There is scientific evidence of the medicinal constituents of
this herb. Recent studies have pointed to the flavonoids in passion
flower as the primary constituents responsible for its relaxing and
antianxiety effects. Some of the plants constituents, Apigenin,
Luteolin, Kaempferol, and Quercetin, are being studied and showing
promise in fighting Parkinson's Disease, Cancer, HIV, Leukemia, and
more. The leaves and stems are medicinal used as antispasmodic,
astringent, diaphoretic, hypnotic, narcotic, sedative, vasodilator and
are also used in the treatment of women's complaints. Passionflower
is used as an alternative medicine in the treatment of insomnia,
nervous tension, irritability, neuralgia, irritable bowel syndrome,
premenstrual tension and vaginal discharges. An infusion of the plant
depresses the motor nerves of the spinal cord, making it very valuable
in the treatment of back pain. The infusion is also sedative, slightly
reduces blood pressure and increases respiratory rate. The herb
contains alkaloids and flavonoids that are an effective non-addictive
sedative that does not cause drowsiness. It is of great service in
epilepsy. The plant is not recommended for use during pregnancy. The
dried herb is much exported from America to Europe for use as an
alternative medicine.

Folklo The name Passionflower refers to the passion of Christ: the
3 stamens represent his wounds, and the 12 petals represent the
apostles. Passion fruit is sweet and aromatic, in fact, the fruit is
used in Hawaiian Punch for flavor.

TRY THESE RECIPES:
Medicinal tea: To 1 tbsp. dried herb add 1 cup boiling water steep for
10 min. drink at bedtime for restlessness. Quite flavorful and
aromatic.---Article by Deb Jackson & Karen Shelton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: paghat )Subject: Passion
Flower, no fruitDate: 2004-07-07
"Jimmy G" wrote: My passion flower vine is quite prolific in
producing flowers, however they never set fruit....
I've read that SOME passion flowers simply will not produce fruit
without cross-pollinating with another vine from a separate cloned
strain, but that this trait varies from strain to strain, some being
fully self-fertile. Passiflora hahnii invariably requires an unrelated
clone to pollinate it, & P. murucuja is very curiously induced to
self-pollinate only when an unrelated clone attempts to pollinate it.
The two species that are most apt to self-pollinate are P. incarnata &
the most commonly grown P. caerulea, but it is never a sure thing & a
for some strains a different clone may be needed. -paghat the ratgirl
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
BTW.. my vine is in its second year, has been putting out a dozen to 2
dozen flowers daily (they only last one day each)since late July, and
i can find only one fruit. It is still small and very green.
Leo

"Gloria" wrote in message ...
Are the fruits of wild passion flower vines edible? I have several vines
that have come up and have those beautiful purple flowers and have put on
several fruits. The fruits are kind of round, a little smaller than a kiwi,
and right now they are green. How do you tell when they are ripe?

Thanks,
Gloria

For informative dispensatory information about Passionvine, see
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclec...assiflora.html at
Kings American Dispensatory,
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/main.html, a complilation
of 751 plants from the early 1900's. (a really cool website)

J. Kolenovsky
http://www.celestialhabitats.com =



Gloria wrote:
=

Are the fruits of wild passion flower vines edible? I have several vine=
s
that have come up and have those beautiful purple flowers and have put =
on
several fruits. The fruits are kind of round, a little smaller than a k=
iwi,
and right now they are green. How do you tell when they are ripe?
=

Thanks,
Gloria
=

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Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business. Quoted by the Ho=
uston
Chronicle Lazy Gardener as 1 of 7 best gardening websites in Houston.
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

Hi Lee,

It may seem odd that I'm dredging up a dead thread, but I just found this by way of Google, and it seems to be the best and most thorough information I've found so far. *gratuitous applause*

So anyway...I just got a bitty little Coral Glow this weekend with the intention of letting it fully taking over my apartment balcony. She's just lovely. And I was even happier to find out, after I bought it, that passionflower has medicinal uses. (Did not know that!)

My question is this: I know that Coral Glow is a hybrid, but I've seen it classified here and there* as a type of caerulea...or at least that's what it seems. Is it really a type of caerulea? If it is, I'd feel much more hesitant about using it for tea or tinctures. I'd hate to drift off to sleep only to wake up dead.

Do I have cause for worry? Should I just buy myself a little incarnata or edulis and play it safe?

Any further info you may have would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Amanda

* http://plantsearchonline.com/vines.htm
http://www.plantsearchcarolinas.com/...ts.asp?NSY=PYO