A fruiting vine originating from the Andes mountains. The fruit is encased in a hard, brittle, and slippery outer shell which maintains the quality of the fruit for weeks. The seeds surrounded by a gelatinous sphere of transparent sweet pulp rich in vitamins A, C, and K, is the edible part of the fruit eaten raw or as a juice. The flowers present a blend of greenish-white sepals and lilac-white petals surrounding bluish-purple and white banded coronal filaments, which also exude a pleasant fragrance. Photographed in the department of Quindio, Colombia.