Passion fruit

Passion fruit is a vigorous tendrilled vine from South America, grown in Indian hill gardens of the Nilgiris, Kodaikanal, Coorg and Kerala and across north-east India. The round fruit has a hard purple or yellow shell full of fragrant, sour-sweet pulp around crunchy black seeds. Its name comes from Spanish missionaries, who read symbols of Christ’s Passion into the elaborate flower.

Botanical name

Passiflora edulis Sims

Family

Passifloraceae

Tamil

Passion pazham

Hindi

Passion fruit

Parts used

Ripe pulp and seed

Habit

Tendrilled vine; the wrinkled purple or yellow fruit is cuisine

Last updated

2026-10-27

How to recognise Passion fruit

It is a woody vine that climbs by coiled tendrils from the leaf bases and can cover a fence in a season.

The leaves are glossy and deeply cut into three lobes, with fine teeth on the edges.

The flowers are white with a showy fringe of wavy purple-and-white filaments, called the corona, around a raised central column.

The purple type has egg-sized fruit that wrinkles when fully ripe; the yellow type is larger and more sour.

Inside, each black seed sits in a juicy, orange-yellow sac of pulp.

Traditional use of Passion fruit

Kitchen

The pulp is strained into juice and squash, spooned over desserts, or eaten straight from the halved shell.

Indian hill-garden and tropical food practice

Kitchen

In Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland, the fruit is a common homestead crop made into juice and jam.

North-east Indian food practice

Modern notes on Passion fruit

The pulp supplies vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and fibre, mostly from the edible seeds.

The yellow form is the main juice crop in Brazil, the largest producer.

Unripe fruit contains cyanogenic compounds that release small amounts of cyanide, which drop to low levels as the fruit ripens.

The calming herb sold as passionflower is a different species, Passiflora incarnata, not this fruit vine.

Passion fruit safety

Eat only ripe fruit, which should be heavy with a shell that has started to wrinkle or colour fully. People with latex allergy sometimes react to passion fruit.

Ecology and sourcing

Large carpenter bees are the main pollinators, and fruit set drops where they are scarce.

The vine is native to southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina.

It has become invasive in parts of Hawaii and some Pacific islands, smothering native trees.

Related plants

Also in Passifloraceae

Questions about Passion fruit

Are the seeds of Passion fruit edible?

Yes. Most people eat them with the pulp.

How do I know Passion fruit is ripe?

The fruit feels heavy and the skin begins to wrinkle or colour fully.

Why is Passion fruit called passion fruit?

Missionaries saw symbols of Christ’s Passion in its flower.

Can Passion fruit grow on the plains?

The yellow type does better on warm plains; the purple prefers hills.

Is Passion fruit the same as passionflower tea?

No. That herb comes from Passiflora incarnata.

Sources

• Passiflora edulis Sims — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
• Wikidata item Q156790 (Passiflora edulis)

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.