Passionfruit

The passionfruit is one of the most popular fruits of Madeira, both for its exceptional flavour and for the various uses that it has.

The passionfruit is a woody, perennial, fast growing, vigorous, continuous and luxuriant growing vine of the Passifloraceae family.
It is estimated that there are more than five hundred species of Passiflora, of which 150 to 200 are native of Brazil. They can be used as food, decoration, and for pharmaceutical drugs.
The commercial cultivation of passionfruit in the Region uses two distinct forms of Passiflora edulis Sims.: the Passiflora edulis f. sp. edulis (purple passionfruit) and the Passiflora edulis f. sp. flavicarpa (yellow or Brazilian passionfruit) and intraspecific crossbreeding.
The passionfruit has a gelatinous pulp with seeds.