Scientific Name
Passiflora incarnata L.
Common Name(s)
Purple Passion Flower, Apricot Vine, Maypop, Maypop Passion Flower, Passionflower, Passionvine, Passion Vine, True Passion Flower, Wild Apricot, Wild Passion Vine
Synonym(s)
Granadilla incarnata, Passiflora edulis var. kerii, Passiflora kerii, Passiflora rigidula
Scientific Classification
Family: Passifloraceae
Genus: Passiflora
Flower
Color: Pinkish-purple
Bloom Time: Summer
Description
Passiflora incarnata is a rapid-growing tendril-climbing vine that is woody in warm winter climates and herbaceous (dies to the ground) in cold winter climates. Features three-lobed, dark green leaves and showy, fringed flowers with white petals and sepals and a central crown of pinkish-purple filaments.
The flowers are fragrant, up to 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) in diameter, and appear in summer. Fleshy, egg-shaped, edible fruits called Maypops appear in July and mature to a yellowish color in fall.
How to Grow and Care
Their vibrant colors and heady fragrance make the Passion Flower a welcome addition to any garden. Unfortunately, because of its origins, most species of Passion Flower plant can't overwinter in many gardens in the United States. However, a few will survive up to USDA plant hardiness zone 5. Most varieties will grow in Zones 7-10.
Because they are vines, the best place for growing Passion Flower is along a trellis or fence. The tops will be killed off during winter, but if you mulch deeply, your Passion Flower plant will return with new shoots in the spring. Since growing Passion Flowers can reach 20 feet (6 m) in a single season, this dies back will help keep the vine under control.
Tropical Passion Flowers need full sun and well-drained soil. Two applications of a well-balanced fertilizer per year, once in early spring and one in midsummer, are all the Passion Flower care you'll need.
See more at How to Grow and Care for Passion Flowers.
Origin
Passiflora incarnata is native to the southeastern United States, including southern Missouri. It typically occurs in sandy soils, low, moist woods, and open areas.
Links
- Back to genus Passiflora
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
Photo Gallery
Click on a photo to see a larger version.
