Passiflora tarminiana (Banana Passionfruit)

This climbing vine is native from southern Mexico to Venezuela and Peru. It has three-lobed, toothed leaves and very small stipules that fall off early. Its hanging flowers have a long floral tube and pink petals and sepals that spread outward or curve backward. These traits distinguish it from Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima, which has larger, persistent stipules. The elongated fruits contain sweet, aromatic edible pulp surrounding numerous seeds, and are used to make drinks.

Widely cultivated in the Andes, it was adopted by commercial growers in Colombia for its vigor and resistance to fungal diseases. It can form fertile hybrids with Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima and Passiflora mixta. Naturalized populations in Hawaii and New Zealand have become invasive. Photographed in the eastern Andes mountain range of Colombia.