MBN 1Gal Passiflora edulis 'Frederick'

This is the largest of the "easily grown" varieties, meaning you don't need to hand pollinate the flowers and that it will actually flower and bear under typical North American conditions. Other large passionfruits either aren't self-fertile, are impossibly tender, need tropical or truly subtropical amounts of heat, and/or are often slow to mature and come into production. The fruit if this variety looks like the typical black P. edulis fruit but is about twice as large, as are the flowers, and the shape is ovoid as opposed to the usual spherical. The fruit are usually large enough to fill the palm of your hand. The downside is that while the fruit are twice as large, it only produces half as many, so you really don't get any more yield. Also, you must use some kind of soft groundcover beneath (Vinca, star jasmine, etc.) to break the fall of the falling ripe fruit. Otherwise the hard rind will crack and the inside will spoil, as both are moist. As with the regular forms of P. edulis, fruit should be after-ripened, until dry and wrinkled, before eating, by which time the acidity level of the fruit will have fallen and flavor and sweetness will be at their peak. According to the CRFG Fruit Facts page this is a Patrick Worley creation, Kahuna x Brazilian Golden. Protect from frost, USDA zone 9/Sunset zones 9, 16-17, 21-24.