It's as you describe. Not only will you get a grab bag of mixed-gender progeny but none of them will be "Issai". The chance of parthenocarpy in one of the offspring is probably remote. And, just to further muddy the waters, the less vigorous growth habit of "Issai" (which some will count as a plus) will probably also go by the genetic wayside.

Really, for the price of the "seeds", try Wellspring Gardens (either the ebay store or the direct internet store). You can purchase a small "Issai" starter plant for perhaps $6--or several. These plants *are* quite small and you have to be diligent with them at first (I know from a "learning experience"), but once established they do grow quickly and you will have what you want, not some random throw of the genetic dice.

Steve,

Thanks for the comments. I'm hoping that if someone is thinking about buying these seeds and does a search, he/she will get a dose of reality. My impression is that a lot of these seeds are being sold.

I'm not in the market for 'Issai' myself. I responded to a post in the GW seed exchange for someone looking for these seeds. I thought it would be appropriate to follow up here. I've bought other plants from Wellspring and enthusiastically recommend them.

By the way, Los Osos is the perfect climate for growing some of the more interesting Passifloras, particularly Tacsonias. I'm sure some of the weedy ones grow a little too well there. However, there are some less aggressive ones, for example P. antioquiensis and P. 'Mission Dolores' (parritae x antioquiensis) that can be grown up into a tree and dangle down spectacular flowers and edible fruit. Steve, if you are ever interested in trying one of these, email me. I'm happy to send them to people in the right climates if I have extras. That's not a lot of people, though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Not 'Issai' kiwi, but Passiflora 'Mission Dolores' in SF