Common Name: Goat-Scented Passionflower

General Information

Passiflora foetida is an ill-scented, climbing herbaceous perennial plant growing from a woody rootstock and producing annual to perennial, somewhat sticky stems around 0.7 - 3 metres long, occasionally to 5 metres[, , ]. These stems scramble over the ground, or clamber into the surrounding vegetation, supporting themselves by means of coiling tendrils.
The fruit is gathered from the wild and consumed locally, but is not greatly valued because of its small size[]. However, the plant is cultivated for its fruit in some tropical areas of America, Africa and Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam)[]. It is also grown as an ornamental[].
This species is considered to be a weed in many parts of the tropics[].

Known Hazards

The unripe fruits contain toxic cyanogenic glucosides and alkaloids, although any reports of toxicity to grazing livestock appear to be minimal[, , ].

Botanical References

,

Range

Warm temperate and tropical S. America from Chile and Argentina, north through the Caribbean and C. America to Arizona, Texas and the Bahamas

Habitat

Hedgerows, thickets and waste ground at low elevations[, ]. Naturalised in the south Pacific where it is common along roadsides, forest margins, agricultural fields and coastal woodlands from sea-level to 200 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	2.50 m
Pollinators	Bees, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Passiflora foetida is found from the warm temperate zone to the tropics of North and South America. Plants are not very tolerant of frost, and can be killed by temperatures falling to around 3°c. They require a temperature no lower than around 16°c when they are flowering in order to ensure fruit set[].
Requires a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil and a position in dappled shade[]. Prefers a circumneutral soil, disliking very acid or very alkaline conditions[]. Passiflora species tend to flower and fruit more freely when grown in soils of only moderate fertility[].
This species is considered to be a weed in many parts of the tropics[].
Dormant seeds can remain viable for many years in the soil[].
The plant can flower and produce fruit all year round[].
An extremely variable and widespread plant, it has a very long list of synonyms[].
Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back to ground level if required to rejuvenate the plant[]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fully ripe fruit - eaten raw and also used to make drinks etc[]. The pulp surrounding the seeds is eaten. Sweet and juicy[, ]. Do not eat the under-ripe fruit since it can be toxic[]. The globose yellow to bright red fruit is about 25mm in diameter[].

Young leaves - cooked[]. Used as an ingredient in soups[].

Medicinal

The fresh, whole plant is boiled and the liquid used as a children's anthelmintic, for intestinal nematodes and flatworms[]. A decoction of the dried plant is drunk to treat colds and chest coughs[]. It is also used in the treatment of tuberculosis, worms, and for coughs and colds []. Fluid, pressed from the leaves and stem, is used to improve fertility in women[].

The root is antispasmodic[].

The whole plant is considered to have sedative properties and is used in the treatment of neurasthenia, insomnia, nightmares and anxiety. It is also indicated for treating hypertension in the form of a decoction, fluid extract or syrup[].
The leaves, combined with those of Erythrina variegata, are mashed and their juice extracted then drunk in order to induce sleep or to treat sleeping disorders[].
The leaves are crushed in water and the solution drunk as an antidote to the bite of the Papuan Black Snake[].
An infusion of the leaves is used for healing wounds[]. Freshed young leaves are mashed and then rubbed on to the wound of a snake bite[].

The leaf contains substances that have possible antimicrobial activity[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is used as a ground cover and as a hedge[]. It is said to be effective in smothering weeds[]. It is seldom used at the present because it can be difficult to control and also rapidly forms a soil seed bank[]. Its ability to form a dense mat of growth, however, can make it useful for protecting soil from erosion or for stabilizing dunes[].

Other Uses

Substances in the leaves deter feeding insects[].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow late winter or early spring in a warm greenhouse. If sown in January and grown on fast it can flower and fruit in its first year[]. The seed germinates in 1 - 12 months at 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. It you are intending to grow the plants outdoors, it is probably best to keep them in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Mulch the roots well in late autumn to protect them from the cold.
Cuttings of young shoots, 15cm with a heel, in spring[].
Leaf bud cuttings in spring.
Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage[].