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Banana passion fruit (Passiflora mollissima)

This introduced woody vine is naturalised in parts of NSW and can smother vegetation. It can kill native plants and reduce food and habitat for native animals.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: South America.

Established in: NSW.

Other names: Passiflora mollissima.

Best time to act: Herbicides should be applied to actively growing plants; flowers are present most of the year in warm areas and from late summer to early winter in cooler temperate areas.

Identification

  • A woody perennial vine that can grow up to 20 m high, it climbs using coiled tendrils.
  • Its leaves are divided into three deep, toothed lobes and are velvety hairy underneath.
  • Flowers hang downwards and have five pink petals, five similar-looking pink or white sepals, and a long green tube at the base.
  • The elongated fruit is yellow to pale orange when ripe, with orange pulp and seeds.
  • Young stems are hairy and green; older stems are woody and rope-like.
  • Look-alike: Edible passionfruit (Passiflora edulis) has hairless plants, oval yellow or black fruit, and white and purple flowers.
  • Look-alike: Other passionfruit species, including native species, do not have toothed leaf edges.

Where it grows

In NSW it is naturalised on the North Coast, in Greater Sydney and in the South East, growing in forests, woodlands, along waterways and in disturbed areas such as roadsides.

Why it matters

  • Vines can smother the ground and climb into tree canopies, smothering and killing native plants from ground covers to tall trees.
  • Infestations reduce food and habitat for native animals and can restrict animal movement.
  • The vine can also smother and outcompete garden plants.

How it spreads

  • People have spread it by planting it as a fruit and ornamental vine.
  • Each fruit can produce up to 180 seeds; birds, foxes, possums and other animals spread seeds in their droppings, and water may also spread them.
  • Stems can root at the nodes, and plant parts may be spread when people dump garden waste.

Control options

  • Prevent spread by not planting it, removing cultivated plants, and disposing of them appropriately; contact your local council for disposal methods.
  • Remove small plants by hand or by digging, making sure to remove all roots.
  • Regular mowing or whipper-snipping suppresses growth but does not kill plants in the short term; repeated cutting over many years may eventually kill them.
  • For herbicide control, use registered herbicides with methods such as spot spraying, basal barking, splatter guns, cut-scrape-and-paint or weed wipers, and follow the product label and permit directions.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Dispose of garden waste appropriately and do not leave cut stems in contact with soil, as stems can root and regrow.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Not listed. Not found in the Western Australian Organism List. Check with DPIRD before moving or keeping it.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • Northern Territory: Check NT list. There is no NT weed profile for it. Check the NT declared weeds list for its current status.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources