369 
Passion Fruits and Passion Flowers 
Although several hundred different species 
and varieties of Passion vines are known to, 
botanists throughout the world, and some 
have been cultivated for ornamental purposes 
for many years, comparatively few have 
Sa much attention as a commercial 
ruit. 
The best known, and only commercial 
species in Victoria is Passiflora edulis — the 
purple or black passion fruit. Banana pas- 
sion fruit, once classified under “Tacsonia’”’, 
is grown in some home gardens, often fruit- 
ing better in cool climates. A_ similiar 
species producing larger fruits has been re- 
ported in Victoria. 
In recent years, attempts have been made 
to improve the life and vigor of the purple 
passion by grafting onto other stocks. Ban- 
ana-passion stecks having proved unsatis~ 
factory, many plants are now appearing of 
P. caerulea which appear to be a big im- 
provement. Several strains of purple pass- 
ion have been developed, including ‘Norfolk 
Island”, whict is favored by some commercial. 
growers. 
Among other Passifloras reported to pro- 
duce more or less palatable fruit are: Mot- 
tled Passion (P. ligularis), Bell Apple (P. 
incarnata), Sweet Calabash (P. maliformis), 
Malcolm’s Passion (P. alata), Golden Passion 
(P. edulis var. flavicapps), Granadilla (P. 
quadrangularis), Large Granadilla (P. macro- 
carpa), a number of varieties and hybrids 
of the foregoing, and some others of the 
banana-fruitted (Tacsonia) types. A  green- 
fruited variety of good flavor has_ also 
been reported from Tweed Heads, N. S. W. 
Several of the foregoing species and var- 
ieties have been cultivated in North Queens-~ 
land for a number of years. In an article by 
S. E. Stephens in the Queensland Agricult- 
ural Journal, Oct. 1952, mention is made 
of the greater vigor and hardiness under 
tropical conditions of the Golden variety, 
and the uncertainity of fruit setting in all 
passifloracaous fruits in the wet tropical 
zone unless hand-pollenation is practised. 
There are many other more or less ornam- 
ental Passifloras such as: manicata, mortii, 
caerulea, Empress Eugenie, Constance Elliott. 
Eynsford Gem, vitafolia, exoniensis and 
sanguinolenta. The exact botanical stand- 
C. L. Wheeler, Victoria, Australia. 
ing of some is however somewhat confused. 
Although the fruits of most species are 
reported to be edible, if not altogether pal- 
atable, the fruit of P, suberose is said to be 
poisonous, This species is growing wild 
in parts of Queensland and produces dark 
purple fruits about the size of currants. 
Several other species have become a pest 
in cultivation and are regarded as weeds. 
Under the cold winter conditions in south- 
ern Victoria most of the tropical species on 
their own roots die out, but the writer has 
been able to carry plants of some species 
over several winters by grafting onto more 
cold-resistant stocks and planting in favor- 
able positions in the garden. Flowers have 
not yet appeared, although growth in some 
cases has been vigorous. A climate similiar 
to northern Victoria or New South Wales, 
may produce better results if protection from 
frosts can be afforded. 
Seveeral years ago, seeds of a yellow fruit- 
ed variety were sold in Melbourne under the 
name of “Orange Passionfruit’, and plants 
raised from these seeds bore a strong resem- 
blance to the common purple. At some- 
where about the same time, a plant was re- 
ported growing in a Melbourne garden under 
the name of “Golden Wonder”, and produc- 
ing yellow fruit about the size of a grape- 
fruit. In the opinion of the writer, both of 
these were the Golden Passionfruit (P. edulis 
var. flavicarpa). 
The germination of many Passiflora seeds 
is often irregular and seedlings appear many 
months after sowing. Immersion of seed 
in warm water sometimes helps, and if 
after hope has been abandoned, the seed box 
is resown with other seeds, the possibility 
of delayed germination is preserved. Owing 
to the extreme scarcity of seeds of many 
species and varieties, plants of many are 
seldom available from the large nurseries. 
Another View of Mrs. 
Deighton’s Garden Showing Rockery and Pool. 
Chemicalization of Our Foods 
Among the many reasons for having your 
own garden where you can produce part of 
your vegetables and fruits, is the ever in- 
cressing use of chemicals in foods. The 
following is part of an article in Organic 
Gardening. 
“Our drinking water has chlorine in it 
and in a recent issue of the Journal of the 
American Medical Association, it was admitt- 
ed that no tests had even been made to test 
the effect of chlorine on either man or anim- 
al. And in this connection, no organic gard- 
ener would ever use chlorinated water to 
sprinkle on his soil. In many municipal 
systems alum and sulphur dioxide are used 
along with the chlorine — with what. effect 
no one can tell. 
Cider contains benzoate of soda and poi- 
sonous phosphates are used in the manufact- 
ure of soft drinks. France is, by the way, 
far ahead of us on this, for in that country, 
the use of benzoate of soda is against the 
law. Ice cream and peanut butter are sat- 
urated with polyoxymethylene-monostearate 
in order to give them better texture, and so 
are candy and salad dressings. That chaste 
looking, ready-whipped cream is produced by 
the formation of foam with nitrous oxide. 
Frankfurters and canned meats are preserved 
with sodium nitrate—a chemical fertilizer 
which damages the hemoglobin of the blood. 
Eyen ordinary table salt has two chemicals in 
it to permit it to pour more easily Tomatoes 
have chemicals added to prevent softening 
and pickles are made with alum to keep them 
firm and full-bodied. One of our famous 
American soft drinks contains a chemical 
that is bad for the eyes. Canned fruits and 
vegetables are peeled by the use of lye, and 
pretzels are given that nice sheen by putting 
them through a bath of caustic soda. 
Yet, these are but a few of the ways count- 
less chemicals are finding their way into 
foods. Coloring agents, preservatives, spoil- 
age retarders and a host of other additives, 
conditioners, extenders and so forth are be- 
coming more present in what we offer our 
bodies for “natural,’’ wholesome nutrition! 
New developments in packaging, non- 
refrigerated ‘freshness retaining” methods, 
plastic dishware and utensils, and cyanide- 
containing silver polishes all add further 
food contact with chemicals, further intake 
of potential toxins. Often the contention 
is made that the amounts of anything poss- 
ibly harmful are extremely small in any given 
item of food. Perhaps true—but what of 
the over-all diet, what of the constant con- 
sumption of dozens of food items, each con- 
taining these even small amounts? Further- 
more, what of the day-by-day cumulative 
effects on body organs, disease resistance 
and general health? Many of the poisong 
involved in recent experimentation have been 
shown to be, at least in part, held and built 
up in the body over long periods of time. 
And finally, what of the hazards of these 
tainted foods to those already lacking per- 
fect health, to the sick, the aged, the infant 
population?” 
This is by no means an indictment of 
food manufacturers. By far, most of them 
want no part of adding to the detrimental 
chemicalizatinn of our foods. 
In a recent issue of The Readers Digest, 
there appeared an artical comparing butter 
and oleo; they apparently assumed that every 
point of difference was considered, but such 
was not the case for they failed to mention 
benzonate of soda, the one reason for not 
eating oleomargine. 
CHERIMOYA DELICIOSA 
A very choice fruit, tropical, flavor of 
banana and pineapple. It is also ornament- 
al and grown in the South. 
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: $2.00, 12 issues. 
