Botanical Name: Passiflora ligularis/quadrangularis
Family: Passifloraceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malpighiales
Genus: Passiflora
Species: P. ligularis
Common Names: Granadilla or Sweet granadilla
Habitat: Granadilla is native to the Andes Mountains, mainly Peru, including Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It grows as far south as northern Argentina and as far north as Mexico. Outside of its native range it grows in the tropical mountains of Africa and Australia (where they are known as passionfruit or Granadilla), and is now common in local markets of Papua New Guinea, where it is known as ‘sugar fruit’. It likes climates ranging from 15° to 18 °C and between 600 and 1000 mm of annual rain. It lives at altitudes ranging from 1700 to 2600 meters above sea level.They It is grown in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru; granadilla común in Guatemala; granadilla de China or parcha dulce in Venezuela and granaditta in Jamaica.
Description:
Granadilla is an evergreen climbing shrub, producing stems of up to 5 meters long. The stems scramble over the ground or clamber into the surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves by means of coiling tendrils. It is a herbaceous vine capable of growing to 10-15 m long. The leaves are broad to ovate or oblong to ovate; 3 ¼- 6 inch (8.25-15 cm) wide; 4-8 inch (10-20 cm) long, smooth and bright green. The flower is campanulate, white tinged with pink or purple, filamentous and 7-10 cm in diameter. The fruit is oblong, 20-30 cm long and 10-20 cm wide that contain numerous seeds. Seeds are flattened to oval, 7-10 mm long and purplish to brown. Fruit has white or pink flesh which is 1-1 1/2 inch (2.5-4 cm) thick.
Granadilla have abundant, simple leaves and greenish-white flowers. The fruit is orange to yellow colored with small light markings. It has a round shape with a tip ending in the stem. The fruit is between 6.5 and 8 cm long and between 5.1 and 7 cm in diameter. The outer shell is hard and slippery, and has soft padding on the interior to protect the seeds. The seeds, which are hard and black, are surrounded by a gelatinous sphere of transparent pulp.
Edible Uses: The fruit pulp is the edible part of the fruit and has a soft sweet taste. It is very aromatic and contains vitamins A, C, and K, phosphorus, iron, and calcium. The main producers are Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil (where it is known as maracujá doce or “sweet passion fruit”), South Africa, Rwanda and Kenya. The main importers are the United States, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain.
Medicinal Uses & health benefits:
Traditional uses:
*In tropics, the fruit is used as stomachic and antiscorbutic.
*In Brazil, flesh is used to provide relief from nervous headache, diarrhea, asthma, dysentery, insomnia and neurasthenia.
*The decoction made from leaves is used as a vermifuge and treats skin disorder.
*The poultice made from leaf is used for liver complaints.
*Unripe fruits are consumed as vegetable.
*Flowers are used to make syrup.
*It is used to treat headaches, diarrhea, asthma, dysentery, insomnia and neurasthenia.
*The fruit is used to provide relief from stomachic and scurvy.
*The leaf extract helps to treat intestinal problems.
*Traditionally, Giant granadilla is used to treat menstrual pain and dysentery.
*The extract of Giant granadilla flower and hawthorn helps to treat congestive heart failure.
*The mixture of Giant granadilla flower and hawthorn berries helps to lower the digestive problems such as colitis and gastritis.
*The fruit juice is used as eyewash to aid sore eyes.
*An infusion or tincture made from dried leaves is an aid for insomnia.
*The homeopathic practitioners use it as a treatment for whooping cough and asthma.
Precautions:
*One should consult a doctor before eating this fruit.
*The side effects such as vomiting, nausea, rapid heartbeat and drowsiness might be experienced.
*Pregnant women should not consume Giant granadilla because it possesses the substances which promote the uterus contraction.
*The flower of Giant granadilla raises the effect of herbals and drugs that enhance sleepiness.
*It promotes the blood thinning effect of antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_ligularis
https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/giant-granadilla/
