Like so many plants and animals introduced to New Zealand, banana passion-fruit has proved to be incredibly invasive and damaging. It grows easily and abundantly, smothering other species. Indeed, it is illegal here to cultivate, sell or distribute the plants.
The Big T likes the fruit — which really does look like a small banana with the inside of a passion-fruit — so he was quite pleased to find some growing by the roadside recently.
I find it quite astringent, but was very happy to tear out a length of vine to bring home and photograph.
Regular Random is a photo challenge hosted by Desley Jane at Musings of a Frequently Flying Scientist.Β Please pop over and take a look;Β and if youβd like to join in:
- choose a subject or a scene
- spend five minutes photographing it β no more!
- try to not interfere with the subject, instead see it from many angles, look through something at it, change the light thatβs hitting it
- have fun!
- tag your post #regularrandom and ping back to Desleyβs post.
Beautiful flowers make me happy! Great floral shots, Su!
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Thanks Peter. Iβm glad you like them.
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Beautiful πΈ
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Such a beautiful and complicated plant. I love it!
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Does your family have a problem with it on the farm?
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Not that I remember. Tea tree was the biggest problem, it grows so fast and just covers the grazing land. Nothing a chainsaw and a days hard work can’t sort out though!
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The Kiwi way!!
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Lovely angles Su. I like the tendrils and the pretty black and white photo which is almost like a botanical drawing. I have never heard of a banana passionfruit, but it is a very delicate colour.
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Thanks Jude. In South America they are called curuba, or taxo, so you may know them as that. They used to be quite common in NZ gardens, but they go mental and smother everything, so now theyβre quite rare. Around Auckland anyway.
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Beautiful images and ways to see a flower!
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Thanks Robert.
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Aren’t they lovely Su, this is a new one to me.
Leslie
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They are South American originally I think.
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Probably they seem more tropical…
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Lovely. Definitely five minutes well spent. π
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Thanks Amanda.
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Very strange indeed. Beautiful but disturbing.
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These are fabulous shots, Su! I can actually feel the fun you had taking these pictures! π Really love the b/w edited ones, they look like something from the 1850’s. π
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Thanks so much Sarah. I had trouble limiting myself to the five minutes; especially as there were so many tendrils forming beautiful curves and swirls.
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Oh these are lovely. Love those curt little tendrils in particular π
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Curly. Not curt. LOL π
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