Passiflora mollissima

(Banana Passionfruit)

There are actually several introduced Passiflora species that are serious problems in tropical and semi-tropical Australia, but Banana Passionfruit poses the most widespread problem. It's an invasive plant in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria, although it is still permitted entry to Australia.

There are several native species of Passiflora too (see our information sheet in Native Plants), but Banana Passionfruit is pretty distinctive. The passionfruit flower has a very long tube before branching out into the typical passionfruit flowers, in either white or pink. The other distinctive feature is the fruit, which, although easily recognisable as a passionfruit, is an oblong shape. It is green when immature, and ripens to yellow or orange-yellow. It is edible.

Banana Passionfruit invades damp and wet scelerophyll forest, riparian vegetation, and warm temperate rainforest, and being a very vigorous evergreen climber, can grow to 20metres, smothering everything along the way. It can live for more than 20 years, and will often start fruiting within its first year.

It is tolerant of occasional frost, some drought, and full sun. The seedlings are tolerant of shade.

Spread

Obviously seed is the most common method of dispersal, as the fruit is eaten by a wide variety of animals, including birds, pigs, probably possums, foxes and, of course, humans.

Stems can also root at some nodes, so even stem fragments can start another infestation.

Control

Seeds can remain dormant for quite some time, but when they do sprout, there can be a mass of seedlings.

Seedlings are easily hand-removed.

Larger plants are a bit more challenging. Vines can be severed at the base and left to dry in the canopy, but any stems coming into contact with the soil can resprout. And the site will need to be checked to ensure there are no pieces of stem that may have broken off during clearing, as they are likely to sprout roots.

Vines can also be treated with herbicide, using the stem-scrape (where the stem is scraped away slightly and the herbicide applied to the wound) or cut-paint methods (where the vine is cut down and the remaining stumps are painted with herbicide).

The good news is that despite how vigorous Banana Passionfruit is, these control methods are reliable, making control and even total eradication in many areas very possible.

Information sources
Blood, K., 2001, Environmental Weeds, published by CH Jerram Science Publishers.
Muyt, A., 2001, Bush Invaders of South-East Australia, published by R.G. & F.J. Richardson.

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