Thursdays Ecology

Purple Passionflower (Maypop)

Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora incarnata, aka Purple Passionflower or Maypop, is an herbaceous climbing vine with axillary tendrils to attach to pergolas, arbors, fences, ...and in nature - trees and thicket forming shrubs. This species is self fertile, perennial, and determined to explore. The stoloniferous rhizome roots can reach up to 10' away from the parent plant and the vine itself can climb up to 25'.

The lavender flowers bloom in summertime attracting the fruit loving birds and a whole lot of butterflies: Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Crimson-Patch Longwing, Julia Butterfly, Mexican Butterfly and the Red Banded Hairstreak. The orange-yellow fruit is not a dependable harvest in the Houston area, (as far as I know), although it is expected to produce in the fall. Birds and humans are lucky to enjoy the taste if the conditions are right to fruit.

When first installing the vine, train the leader up a sturdy trellis system, preventing the vine from visiting your garden or pathways. Remove any suckers or errant secondary vines during the first year. In the following year during early spring, prune away everything except the strongest 1 or 2 vines to ensure new growth and fruiting space. The third year the vine will have filled out more and start producing fruit. After this initial setup, the vine should be pruned 1/3 every late winter to keep the habit.

Considering the range of Ecosystem Services this Passionflower species provides this plant can be grown in neighborhood homes or community gardens along pergolas or trellising systems either over a lovely dinette spot or a garden bed with specialty annuals.

~delectable fruit, leaves

~host plant for butterflies

~attracts bees, insects

~creating shade and visual interest

sources: NPSOT, Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center, GardeningKnowHow