passion fruit @ lim chu kang

saw this woody creeper on the fence of one of the farms at lim chu kang. could not really make out what the fruit was. it looks a bit like a tomato but then a tomato plant is not a creeper. found out today that it is a passion fruit.

the passion fruit is known for its beautiful white flowers with purple to pink crown blooms. the leaves are hairless and lobbed. the two main commercial varieties are purple passion fruit and yellow passion fruit. the purple passion is cultivated mainly in africa and india and the yellow passion fruit in peru, brazil and ecuador.

the juice but mainly the leaves of passion fruit contain the alkaloids, including harman, which has blood pressure lowering, sedative and antispasmodic action. the passion fruit leaves are used in many countries as medicine.

the flower of passion fruit has a mild sedative and can help to induce sleep. passion flower has been used in the treatment of nervous and easily excited children, bronchial asthma, insomnia, nervous gastrointestinal disorders and menopausal problems. passion flower is sometimes used as a mild hallucinogen.

the name 'passion' was given by catholic missionaries in south america. the corona threads of the passion flower were seen as a symbol of the crown of thorns, the five stamens for wounds, the five petals and five sepals as the ten apostles (excluding judas and peter) and the three stigmas for the nails on the cross.