Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Passiflora edulis Sims

Synonyms

Passiflora edulis Sims forma flavicarpa O. Deg.
Passiflora edulis Sims forma edulis

Family

Passifloraceae

Common Names

black passion fruit, black passionfruit, common passionfruit, edible passionfruit, golden passionfruit, granadilla, passionflower, passion fruit, passion fruit vine, passion vine, passion-fruit, passionfruit, purple granadilla, purple passion fruit, purple passionfruit, purple water lemon, yellow passion fruit

Origin

Native to South America (i.e. southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina).

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in eastern and southern Australia (i.e. in eastern Queensland, the costal districts of eastern New South Wales, in southern Victoria, in south-eastern South Australia and in the coastal districts of south-western Western Australia). Also naturalised on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

Naturalised overseas in tropical and southern Africa, on La Réunion, in New Zealand, in south-eastern USA (i.e. Florida and Georgia) and on some Pacific islands (e.g. the Cook Islands, the Galápagos Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Guam, Western Samoa, Niue, Tonga and Hawaii).

Notes

Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis) is regarded as an environmental weed in New South Wales and Queensland. This species is widely cultivated in Australia for its edible fruit. The black-fruited form (i.e. Passiflora edulis forma edulis) is far more common in cultivation, however it is often grafted onto the rootstock of the yellow-fruited form (i.e. Passiflora edulis forma flavicarpa ).

Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis) is a weed of roadsides, fencelines, waste areas, disturbed sites, native bushland, riparian vegetation, open woodlands, forest margins and coastal environs in the tropical, sub-tropical and warmer temperate regions of Australia. The yellow-fruited form (i.e. Passiflora edulis forma flavicarpa) is more common among naturalised populations, and seems to be more invasive.