Rosy passion fruit vine, PASSIFLORA MALIFORMIS, also called 'Sweet calabash' is woody but slender, climbing to 33 ft or more by means of tendrils in the leaf axils, and draping trees, walls and small buildings. The evergreen leaves are fairly thin and light-green. The peduncle bears 3 thin, ovate, pointed bracts, to 2 in (5 cm) long which enclose the unopened bud and form an ivory-hued background for the opened flower, which is fragrant, 2 to 2 3/8 in wide, with keeled, green, maroon-dotted sepals and 5 small petals, greenish-white, dotted with red or purple. The corona is 3-ranked and variegated white, purple and blue.
The fruit is oblate to nearly round-oval. The pulp is grayish or pale orange-yellow, juicy, sweet or subacid and pleasingly aromatic, containing many black, flat, ovate, pitted seeds.
Hardy zone 10
Sowing instructions
Sow in trays, pots, etc of good seed compost in a propagator or warm place to maintain an optimum temperature of 70-40-70F . Sowing Depth: žin . Germination can be slow. Seal the seed container after sowing in a polythene bag and place in a temperature of 70F for 3 months. Keep compost moist but not over wet. If germination does not occur by the end of this time, transfer to a fridge (Not freezer) for 3-5 months. At the end of this period return to 70F when germination should occur in around 3 months..
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