Passiflora ligularis - Sweet Granadilla

Sweet Granadilla, the most delicious of all the world's passion fruits, is called Sugar Fruit in local markets. In Hawaiian they are farmed for both fruit and flowers. With heart-shaped leaves, this is no ordinary vine: wild, purple-striped fringe grows from fragrant, pale 4-inch flowers.

Sub-tropical -- not tropical -- Passiflora ligularis grows wild in the misty mountains of Central America and needs a cooler climate than most of its cousins. Zones 8-9 are perfect. It will tolerate a brief freeze, but it doesn't like Florida or California.

You can grow it indoors in a sunny window, and it flowers best when its roots are constricted in a container. It needs rich, loamy soil, even moisture and frequent feedings.

This fast-growing vine can grow 20 feet in a single season -- give it a strong trellis to climb, and get out of the way.

10 seeds