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Plants

sweet passion fruit

Passiflora alata Curtis

Family: Passifloraceae · Genus: Passiflora

fragrant granadilla

Placenta II Medium No biomass production
Alex Popovkin · CC BY · iNaturalist

Brazilian native vine distinct from sour passionfruit (P. edulis). Pyriform orange-yellow fruit with sweet, fragrant flesh eaten fresh — fruitier, less acidic cup. Fast-growing, performs from sea level to 700 m altitude. Hardy to -3°C. Perennial, tolerates renewal pruning.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta II
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Medium
Strata
Medium, Low
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
High
Drought tolerance
Low
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
5–6.5
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Sandy
Hardiness zones
10–13
Frost tolerance
-3.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
3–6 m
Recommended spacing
2.5–4 m
Root system
Fibrous
Root depth
Shallow
Growth rate
Very fast
Lifespan
3–7 years
Time to first harvest
10 months
Productive lifespan
4 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Sweet passion fruit takes the Medium stratum in the Placenta II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent High Medium · ≈6 m Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Train on trellis or fence at 2.5×4 m. Full sun, well-drained soil. Manual or carpenter-bee (Xylocopa) pollination. Fruits 8–12 months after planting.

✂️ Management & Pruning

Train on a trellis, let productive branches hang and prune dead stems; tolerates renewal pruning. Renew the canopy periodically to sustain production.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: October, November, December, January, February, March, April

Fruiting months: December, January, February, March, April, May, June

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of sweet passion fruit?

The first harvest of sweet passion fruit comes around 10 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for sweet passion fruit?

The recommended spacing for sweet passion fruit is 2.5–4 m.

How tall does sweet passion fruit grow?

At maturity, sweet passion fruit reaches 3–6 m tall.

When does sweet passion fruit fruit?

Fruiting of sweet passion fruit occurs in December, January, February, March, April, May, June.

When does sweet passion fruit flower?

Flowering of sweet passion fruit occurs in October, November, December, January, February, March, April.

What stage and stratum does sweet passion fruit occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, sweet passion fruit belongs to the placenta ii stage, occupying the medium stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit 🐝 Attracts pollinators Ornamental

Propagation

Seed, Cutting

Citations

  1. Caderno de Agroecologia ABA — Implementação de Maracujá em sistemas agroflorestais (spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m)
  2. SciELO Brasil — Maracujá-doce: o autor, a obra e a data da publicação de Passiflora alata (description)
  3. www.aplantadavez.com.br (cultivation_notes, flowering_months, fruiting_months, pruning_notes)
  4. elevagro.com (fruiting_months, time_to_first_harvest_months)
  5. floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br (biomes, family, genus)

External references

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