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Passiflora quadrangularis
Passifloraceae FAMILY

Passiflora quadrangularis

Passiflora quadrangularis

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The raw root is a potent narcotic and poisonous[1, 2]. The noxious effects of the poison can be counteracted by a decoction of Petiveria alliacea, Cassia sp,, Andropogon sp., and 'bois-trompette'[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Climber
Growth—

Succeeds in the hot, wet, lowlands to moderate elevations in tropical to subtropical climates[1, 3]. Grows better at elevations between 200 - 500 metres[4]. Plants require a temperature no lower than around 16°c when they are flowering in order to ensure fruit set[5]. They can be damaged if temperatures fall much below 10°c[1]. Requires a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil and a position in dappled shade where it can grow up towards the sun[1]. Prefers a circumneutral soil, disliking very acid or very alkaline conditions[1]. Passiflora species tend to flower and fruit more freely when grown in soils of only moderate fertility[5]. Seedling plants can commence fruiting when only 1 - 2 years old, whilst cuttings have been known to fruit in their first year of growth[3]. Plants can flower and fruit all year round[1]. A self-sterile species[5]. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back to ground level if required to rejuvenate the plant[6]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[5].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe along with the pulp which will help break down the seed coat and speed up germination[1]. Stored seed should be soaked for 24 hours in warm water and germination time can be reduced if the seed is then mixed with the juice of a fresh passion fruit (of any species)[1]. Even so, it can take 12 months for stored seed to germinate[1]. Place the seed tray in a shady position, maintaining a temperature around 19 - 24°c[1]. Prick the seedlings out into individual containers as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out when large enough[1]. Cuttings of young shoots, taken at the nodes. The cuttings root best in a neutral to slightly acid compost, but 100% sharp sand also produces good results[1]. Cuttings of fully mature wood taken at a node. They can take 3 months, but there is usually a high percentage[7]. Layering. Very easy[1]. Air layering. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Passiflora+quadrangularis>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Passion Flowers — Vanderplank. J. · Cassell. London. · 1991 · ISBN 0-304-34076-6 ↩︎An excellent book on passion flowers, giving information on hardy species and how to grow the less hardy in greenhouses etc. A bit lacking at times on specific information on hardyness. Excellent photographs.
  2. [2]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
  3. [3]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  4. [4]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Climbers and Wall Shrubs. — Davis. B. · Viking. · 1990 · ISBN 0-670-82929-3 ↩︎Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
  7. [7]Growing Unusual Fruit. — Simmons. A. E. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1972 · ISBN 0-7153-5531-7 ↩︎A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.
  8. [8]Brazilian Fruits and Cultivated Exotics — Lorenzi. H.; Bacher. L.; Lacerda. M.; Sartori. S. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora LTDA; Brazil. · 2000 · ISBN 85-867174-24-0 ↩︎A superb book, giving information on several hundred fruit species. Each entry has a brief description of the plant and its uses, accompanied by one to many excellent quality photographs of the fruits.
  9. [9]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  10. [10]Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants — http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 ↩︎Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
  11. [11]Passifloraceae — MacDougal J.M. · 2011 ↩︎
  12. [12]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]Tropical Food Gardens — Norrington. L. · Bloomings Books (Melbourne) · 2001 · ISBN 1-876473-41-x ↩︎Excellent little book giving some basic information on a range of plants.
  14. [14]Passifloraceae do Brasil. Estudo do gênero Passiflora L., subgênero Passiflora — Cervi A.C. · 1997 · ISBN 0212-0623 ↩︎
  15. [15]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.