Passiflora

This is one native plant whose seeds persist in the soil and germinate at irregular intervals. Here is a seedling that appeared in a pot of Maiden's wattle. A few seedlings also appeared on our rainforest site, shortly after a dense growth of privet had been removed.

Note the peculiar shape of the leaves. They are also much smaller than the leaves of the introduced passionfruit Passiflora edulis.

As the plant gets bigger, the lobes of the leaves become more pointed. The flowers are followed by green fruit that are reputed to be edible, although they don't taste marvellous.

To germinate the seed, all trace of the flesh which adheres to them must be removed. Even then, germination is irregular and some seedlings will still be appearing even after a year or two.