246 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



Henry Pittier speaks of this fruit as "neither a food nor a 

 beverage." Its white pulp is almost liquid, acidulous, and 

 perfumed in taste. Among the Indians of Central America 

 it is a favorite, and figures prominently in many of the markets. 

 The plant is a vigorous climber, scrambling over build- 

 ings and trees of considerable size. The leaves are cordate and 

 acuminate, and commonly about 6 inches long. The flowers 

 are solitary, with the petals and sepals greenish, and the corona 

 white with zones of red-purple. The 

 fruit is somewhat larger than that of 

 P. edulis, oval or slightly elliptic in 

 form, and orange to orange-brown, 

 sometimes purplish, in color. The shell 

 is strong, so that the fruit can be trans- 

 ported long distances without injury. 

 The seeds are numerous and each sur- 

 rounded by translucent whitish pulp. 

 The Indians eat the fruit out of hand. 

 The species is a native of tropical 

 America and does not seem to be known 

 in other regions. Recently it has been 

 introduced into California and Florida 

 by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, but so far as is known, it 

 has not yet fruited in either state. Since it grows in Central 

 America at elevations of 6000 to 7000 feet, it should be suffi- 

 ciently cold-resistant to withstand light frosts, although it is 

 doubtful whether it will survive temperatures more than two 

 or three degrees below freezing-point. 



Its requirements in regard to soil and cultural attention 

 are probably about the same as those of P. edulis. It does 

 not fruit quite so abundantly as the latter, nor has it been 

 observed to produce more than one crop a year in Central 

 America. Propagation is usually by seed. 



FIG. 30. The sweet 

 granadilla (Passiflora lig- 

 ularis), one of the best- 

 flavored fruits of its genus. 



(xi) 



