PASSIFLORA aurantia

Passiflora aurantia is one of the few Passiflora native to Australia.  Attractive red or salmon-coloured flowers are seen mainly in winter and spring but some flowers may also occur at other times of the year.
The flowers are 4-8 cm in diameter and are followed by ovoid, green fruits, about 5 cm in diameter occurring in clusters containing edible pulp and numerous black seeds.

A reliable garden plant in most temperate areas if protected from frost.

Occurs naturally in New South Wales and Queensland.

Please Note: Although many of the traditional Bush Food and Medicine plants are now commercially produced in various forms we recommend you research these before using them as any form of food or medicine. Some parts of the plant may not be edible or some may need to be prepared before they are safe to eat or use in any way. We do our best to describe their traditional & modern uses. It is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure they are fit for their intended use.

Prefers deep rich soil in a protected sunny position, drought and frost tender.

Grow notes:

Although seed can be sown most of the year in many parts of Australia seed is generally best sown in spring, avoiding the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 25-30°C

To assist in the uptake of moisture for germination to occur seed is best soaked in warm water for 24 hours prior to sowing.

A warm water soak is recommended for this species.

1. Place the seed in a container with warm water (around 25°C) and allow it to soak 24hrs.
2. Sow seed on the surface of a porous seed-raising mix. The seed will lodge in the pores of the mix once watered.
3. Cover lightly with the seed-raising mix. Do not bury the seed too deeply.
4. Water with a fine mist spray to avoid disturbance of the seed.
5. Place in a warm shaded or semi-shaded position to avoid dying out.
6. Keep warm & moist, and avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.
7. Germination should occur in 30-60 days @ 25-30°C

General note: Seeds of many plants are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.