LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN, COMMENT CULTIVER LA PLANTE QUI DONNE LE FRUIT DE LA PASSION (émission N°102)

NewsJardinTV, the channel dedicated entirely to plants, gardens, botany, and gardening, is honored and pleased to offer you this 102nd issue of its daily show: "Le Quotidien du Jardin." This program is available free of charge for 24 hours, after which it is made available exclusively to NewsJardinTV Le Club members, whom we thank for their contributions. Patrick Mioulane, editor-in-chief of NewsJardinTV, responds to our subscriber Jérémy, who posted the following question on our YouTube channel: Can Passiflora edulis and Passiflora officinalis be grown in a garden or indoors? If so, how do you propagate them and where can I buy them, as I've never seen them at a horticultural store? First of all, you should know that, apart from some exceptionally exposed gardens on the Côte d'Azur, Passiflora caerulea and its cultivars are rarely grown outdoors in France. They are appreciated for their pretty flowers, but their fruits are rather unappealing in taste. Moreover, among the approximately 600 species and subspecies validated by the international botanical nomenclature, Passiflora officinalis does not exist. We will therefore offer you a detailed presentation of Passiflora edulis. The genus Passiflora, created in 1753 by the legendary Carl von Linné (1707-1778), mainly includes tropical climbing plants that should not be exposed to frost. Although these plants grow vigorously, it is possible to successfully grow them in a greenhouse container. Passiflora edulis, commonly cultivated for its fruits (passion fruit, passion fruit, granadilla), is produced in Europe in southern Italy and on certain Mediterranean islands. This species was described and named in 1818 by the British botanist John Sims (1749-1831), who was physician to Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817), daughter of King George IV (1762-1830). Native to tropical America (Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, where it is the national flower, and Venezuela), Passiflora edulis is sometimes called purple passionflower. It forms a semi-woody climbing vine 4 to 8 m long, with tendrils in the leaf axils. The leaf axils are evergreen, alternate, with three ovoid, toothed lobes, and measure up to 20 cm long. The flowers, 4 to 7 cm in diameter, are white and purple and adorned with numerous filaments. They generously display their nail- and hammer-shaped reproductive organs. Passiflora edulis is self-fertile and produces abundant fruit when growing conditions are good. The purplish-brown berries, averaging 5 cm in diameter (35/45 grams), contain a tangy yellow pulp surrounding the numerous seeds (an average of 250 per fruit!). There are various cultivars of passion fruit, but the most popular fruit is Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa; the yellow passion fruit. It has larger flowers than the type species and larger fruits (60/90 g), but its climatic requirements are clearly tropical, and this form is also self-sterile. Passion fruits are considered climacteric because they continue to evolve after being picked and produce ethylene. Storage for a few days results in a decrease in the acidity of the pulp and a weight loss characterized by a shriveling of the fruit's outer shell. Grow passionflowers in rich, moist, and well-drained soil. A mixture of sandy garden soil and potting soil works well in pots (add a little pelleted manure). Passionflower is a plant renowned in folk medicine for the soothing and sedative properties of its leaves and flowers. It has been used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Please note that NewsJardinTV has dedicated two videos to the presentation and fascinating history of passionflower, which show you the specific characteristics of the plant and explain why it's called "passion flower":    • TOUT SAVOIR SUR LA FLEUR DE LA PASSION (PA...      • PASSIFLORE : LA FABULEUSE HISTOIRE DE LA F...   We also have a specific video on how to plant a beautiful specimen in a container:    • FLEUR DE LA PASSION : COMMENT LA PLANTER, ...   Thank you for watching this daily show. We hope you enjoyed this short video interlude. The entire NewsJardinTV team wishes you a pleasant time and looks forward to seeing you tomorrow at 7 p.m. for a new show: "LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN" (The Garden's Daily Life). It's on NewsJardinTV and nowhere else! Tomorrow, Patrick will answer this question: Could you explain to me in a simple and understandable way the easiest method for pruning the pear palmettes I planted last year? Everything I've seen or read on the subject so far has discouraged me.