FRUITS OF QUEENSLAND. 51 



THE GRANADILLA. 



A vine, belonging to the natural order Passiflore-ae, that produces one of 

 our most delicious tropical fruits. The papaw and the passion fruit belong 

 to this same order. It can be grown all along our eastern seaboard, but comes 

 to greatest perfection in the North. The fruit is of a pale greenish-yellow 

 colour, cylindrical in shape, and varies in weight from about 1 to 5 lb., the 

 largest fruits being produced on a sub-species. The fruit consists of an outer 

 pulpy covering, which can be used for cooking if desired, which surrounds a 

 cavity filled with seeds which are encased in a jelly-like mass. This is the 

 portion eaten, and to use an Americanism, " It is not at all hard to take." It 

 is either eaten by itself, or is used in conjunction with papaw and other fruits 

 to make a fruit salad, a dish that is fit for the food of the gods, and once taken 

 is never forgotten. 



The granadilla is easily grown from seed, and the plants are trained on an 

 overhead trellis, the fruit hanging down on the underside. It is a heavy 

 bearer, and once planted requires little attention. It requires a free, warm soil, 

 that is fairly rich, to be grown to perfection, hence it is most commonly grown 

 on scrub land. It can, however, be grown on any well-prepared land of a free 

 nature. Unfortunately, it is a difficult fruit to ship any distance, hence its 

 consumption is mainly confined to the districts in which it is grown, and where, 

 needless to say, it is greatly appreciated. It is in fruit more or less all the 

 year round, its main crop being in early spring in the North, and during the 

 summer months further South. It is sometimes made into jam or jelly, but 

 when preserved loses much of its characteristic flavour. 



THE PASSION FRUIT. 



This fruit is very closely related to the granadilla, but is much hardier 

 than it, and can be grown to perfection much further South. It is not injured 

 by frost to any extent in any part of coastal Queensland, and can be grown a 

 considerable distance inland. It is more rightly a semi-tropical than a tropical 

 fruit, though, as it is so nearly related to the granadilla, I have included 

 it amongst the tropical fruits. It is also a vine, and, when grown commercially, 

 is trained along a horizontal trellis, in a somewhat similar manner to a grape 

 vine. It is readily grown from seed, and will produce fruit in less than twelve 

 months from the time that it is planted, and will continue to bear fruit for 

 some years. It does best on a free, warm soil of fair quality, though it may 

 be grown anywhere with care, and often thrives well in very poor soils with the 

 addition of manure. It is found growing wild on the borders of many of our 

 scrubs and elsewhere, the seeds having been deposited by birds or other 

 agencies, and under such conditions it produces an abundance of fruit. The 

 fruit is of^a roundish oval shape, and is of a dark-purple colour. It is about 

 the size of a large hen's egg, the outer skin being hard and shell-like, and 

 the centre filled with the seeds, which are surrounded with a jelly-like mass 

 and a yellowish pulp. It is a very fine flavoured fruit, and is universally liked. 



