Passionfruit in Texas

Before this topic is irrelevant because winter has set upon the continental United States, I thought I’d post about Passiflora incarnata, passionfruit that grows here in the United States. (Have no fear, I have not forgotten our Pakistani escapades)

The flowers of this vine are crazy and totally unmistakable. I was elated to discover a patch of these growing in a thick brush.

The unripe fruit is hard and hollow. In the U.S. passionfruit is sometimes referred to as maypop because of the popping sound the unripe ones make when they’re stepped on. I did accidently smush one while harvesting and it certainly did pop.

When ripe, the fruit is wet inside the skin and the seeds are black. The taste is a bit like kiwi with notes of pineapple and watermelon.

Though in the perfect stage of ripeness when lime green and pliable, the fruits are still good when old and wrinkled and even moldy. Some of the really old ones I’ve had taste a bit funky, so I avoid them when I can resist.

So there you have it: wild American passionfruit. Even if you’re not game to eat one, you can always impress your friends by identifying the plant’s flabbergasting flower.

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-Indy.