Possum Purple Passion Fruit: Zones, Size and Flavor

Possum Purple is a self-compatible purple passion fruit, a seedling selection from Possum Trot Nursery, and UF/IFAS calls it the most widely grown and propagated cultivar in south Florida. The fruit is 2.5 to 3.5 inches long with a medium-dark purple peel and sweet, moderately strong juice. This page covers Possum Purple only. For planting and care, read our passion fruit vine guide, and to compare it with other types, see the passion fruit varieties guide.

USDA zones

9–11 in the ground, as for Passiflora edulis (UF/IFAS suggests 9b and above)

Sun

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Difficulty

Easy

Lifecycle

Perennial

Origin

The Americas

Container friendly

Yes

Type

Purple, a seedling selection from Possum Trot Nursery (UF/IFAS)

Fruit size

2.5–3.5 in. long, about 2 in. in diameter (UF/IFAS)

Peel

Medium-dark purple with numerous light dots (UF/IFAS)

Flavor

Pleasant aroma, sweet juice with a moderately strong flavor (UF/IFAS)

Self-fertile

Yes, the flowers are self-compatible (UF/IFAS)

Flower to harvest

70–75 days (UF/IFAS)

Possum Purple passion fruit

UF/IFAS describes a fruit with a medium-dark purple peel covered with numerous light dots. It is 2.5 to 3.5 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter. The fruit has a pleasant aroma, and the juice is sweet with a moderately strong flavor. That makes it a good all-round passion fruit for eating fresh, scooped from the shell, or for juice. Our guide on how to eat a passion fruit shows the options.

Is Possum Purple self-fertile?

Yes. UF/IFAS says the flowers are self-compatible, which is why it suits a single vine in a small garden or a pot. That sets it apart from yellow passion vines, which UF/IFAS says are not self-fertile and need pollen from a genetically different vine. Bees still help carry pollen within the flower (honey bees and carpenter bees are the main pollinators), and hand pollination with a clean paintbrush or cotton glove helps if few bees visit. If the vine flowers but sets no fruit, see our guide on why a passion fruit flowers but does not fruit.

How long does Possum Purple take?

UF/IFAS says flowering to harvest takes 70 to 75 days. That is the time from open flower to harvest, not from planting. A vine that is a year old can be expected to produce between 5 and 15 lb of fruit per plant (UF/IFAS, for passion fruit in general).

Where Possum Purple grows

UF/IFAS says Possum Purple is the most widely grown and propagated cultivar in south Florida. For cold, it behaves like other purple Passiflora edulis. UF/IFAS suggests zones 9b and above, says chilling injury is possible below about 59°F, and says prolonged freezing and low to mid 20s°F temperatures may kill the vine to the ground. In zone 9a and colder, grow it in a container and move it to shelter. If you garden where winters are colder still, see maypop, a hardy native species.

Growing Possum Purple: what is the same

Possum Purple needs what other passion fruit vines need, so follow the main guide:

• Sun: full sun, or a spot where the vine reaches full sun after climbing (UF/IFAS).
• Support: a simple but strong fence or trellis that can withstand wind (UF/IFAS).
• Water and soil: well-drained soil and small, frequent watering, never saturated (UF/IFAS).
• Feed: cut nitrogen after the first year so the vine flowers, and feed after late-winter pruning (UF/IFAS).
• Roots: UF/IFAS says nematodes are more likely to attack the roots of purple passion fruit, and that purple vines can be grafted onto yellow rootstock to reduce root disease.

How Possum Purple compares

Choose Possum Purple if you want a self-fertile purple type that is easy to find in warm climates. Choose Panama Red for a larger, red fruit, a yellow type for the warmest, lowest sites if you can give it a partner, and maypop for cold.

Where to buy a Possum Purple plant

Buy a container-grown vine from a nursery in your region, or from a plant sale run by your county extension office or a local fruit-growers club. Ask for it by name, because passion fruit is often sold with no variety on the label. UF/IFAS says Possum Purple is widely propagated in south Florida, so it is most likely to be sold there. Elsewhere, ask a nursery to confirm that the plant is a purple type.

Once you have it planted, our passion fruit varieties guide can help you decide whether a second type is worth the space.