Giant Granadilla is a slightly woody or herbaceous
vine. The branches are hairless, attaining 3-5 m in length and the
plant climbs by means of in leaf-axils tendrils. The stems are trigonal
or four-edged in shape and the angles are winged, becoming cylindrical
as they mature. The leaves are alternate and hairless, papery or
membranaceous. The leaves are 10-20 x 8-15 cm and are broadly
elliptical or broadly ovate in shape, with an tapering tip. Leaf-stalks
are 2-5 cm long. Flowers are borne singly, drooping, in leaf-axils and
subtended by a persistent involucre of three ovate bracts that are 3-5
cm long. The sepals are ovate or oblong-ovate, 3-4 cm long, white,
violet, or pink on the inner surface and green outside. Petals are
oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceshaped, white with a pink tinge and 3-4.5
cm long. The corona is in many series. The segments of the corona are
thread-like and as long as the sepals, with red-violet and white bands
at the base, blue in the middle and with numerous pink-blue spots above
the middle. The androgynophore is thick, with five stamens and an ovoid
ovary. The flower-cluster-stalk is 1.5-3 cm long and trigonal. The
fruit is a green, fleshy berry that has an oblong-ovoid shape, is 2-3 x
1.2-1.5 cm in size and has three longitudinal furrows. Giant Granadilla
is native to Colombia to Brazil, cultivated elsewhere.
Identification credit: Anil Thakur
Photographed in cultivation in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh.
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The flower labeled Giant Granadilla is ...