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Banana passionfruit (Passiflora tarminiana)

Naturalised in parts of New South Wales, banana passionfruit is a vigorous woody vine that smothers and kills other plants. It can form dense infestations, and it should not be sold in parts of NSW.

Key facts

Type: Weed, vine and creeper.

Native to: South America.

Established in: NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Other names: Passiflora mollissima.

Best time to act: Physical removal can be done year-round and is easiest when the soil is damp; spray actively growing plants, with some listed herbicide treatments specified for October to May.

Identification

  • A woody, perennial vine that can grow up to 20 m high, with coiled tendrils that help it attach to other plants.
  • Leaves are 5 to 10 cm long and 8 to 16 cm wide, divided into three deep, toothed lobes, and often velvety-haired underneath.
  • Flowers hang downwards and have five pink petals, five similar-looking pink or white sepals, and a long green tube at the base.
  • Ripe fruit is yellow to pale orange, elongated, and up to 12 cm long; it contains orange pulp and seeds.
  • Young stems are hairy and green, becoming woody and rope-like as they age.
  • 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 has naturalised on the North Coast, in Greater Sydney and in the South East, growing in open forests and forest edges, woodlands, along waterways and in disturbed places such as roadsides.

Why it matters

  • It smothers the ground and climbs over plants and trees into the canopy, killing native plants from ground covers to tall trees.
  • It reduces food and habitat for native animals and can form dense infestations that restrict their movement.
  • It smothers and outcompetes garden plants.

How it spreads

  • People have spread it by planting it as a fruit and ornamental vine; it is sometimes sold as Passiflora mollissima.
  • Each fruit can produce up to 180 seeds, and seeds can remain viable in soil for at least 18 months.
  • Birds, foxes, possums and other animals spread seeds in their droppings, seeds may also spread by water, and stems can root at the nodes.

Control options

  • Do not plant it; remove cultivated plants and dispose of them appropriately, checking with the local council for disposal methods.
  • Hand-pull or dig out small plants and remove all roots; this can be done year-round and is easiest when the soil is damp.
  • Mowing or whipper-snipping can suppress stems but will not kill plants in the short term; repeated cutting over many years may eventually kill them.
  • For larger plants, use suitable registered herbicides and approved application methods, such as spot spraying, basal barking, cut-scrape-and-paint, or weed wipers; follow the product label and permit directions.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Dispose of garden waste appropriately and check with your local council for disposal methods, as stems can root at the nodes.
  • 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: Regional priority in 1 of 11 regions. Regional priority weed in North Coast. 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
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources