About Passiflora vitifolia Kunth
Passiflora vitifolia Kunth is a vine with cylindrical stems that are covered in red-brown hairs when young. Its leaves are serrate and three-lobed, reaching up to 15 centimetres (6 inches) long and 18 centimetres broad. The lobed leaves resemble grape leaves, which gives this passionflower its specific epithet "vitifolia" – a name derived from Latin vitis, meaning grape, so vitifolia translates to "grape leaves". The species produces bright red flowers that grow up to 9 centimetres in diameter. Its fruit is a berry 5 centimetres long and 3 centimetres broad, with green flesh speckled with white, a light covering of downy hairs, and numerous seeds inside. When the fruit first falls from the plant it is quite sour, and it can take a full month to ripen to its final flavor, described as sour strawberry. Because of its fragrant fruit, Passiflora vitifolia Kunth is grown on a small scale in the Caribbean. This species is native to southern Central America (including Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama) and northwestern South America (including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru).
