OK, I've done a little research on this. Here's a quick summary:
Although there are five speices commonly found in the United States, there actually are something like 400 species worldwide. P. incarnata differs from the rest in that it is a deciduous vine that dies back from frost.
There are three species commonly used for food: Passiflora edulis Sims (purple passion fruit); P. edulis f. flavicarpa Deg. (yellow passion fruit); P. quadrangularis L. (giant granadilla). The purple has, apprently, been cultivated in Australia for a long time, and that's probably the one DC Sunshine has. P. edulis is the one usually found in markets.
According to the University of Florida Extension, here's how to determine ripeness:
Developing passion fruit remains green until fully mature, then colors rapidly within a few days. Both yellow and purple fruits drop to the ground when ripe. The fruit should not be harvested until it drops, because fruit picked from the vine has an unripe "woody" taste. In some regions, the soil beneath the vines is kept weed free and the newly fallen fruit is collected once or twice a week for market. In Florida, the fall crop is easily collected from the ground twice a week where raccoons and other animal pests are not abundant. Summer fruit is better collected daily because of higher temperatures and the danger of sun-scalding.
Both purple and yellow passion fruits begin to lose moisture as soon as they fall and quickly become quite wrinkled if held under hot, dry conditions. Juice in these fruits is wholesome, but they are unsightly and thus unmarketable. Clean fruit can be stored in polyethylene bags at 10°C (50°F) for as long as 3 weeks without loss.
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