Passiflora incarnata - Maypop, Wild passion vine
Family Passifloraceae

Description:

About 350 species of Passiflora are native to southeast Asia, South America, and North America. They are vines and trees. Many of the species have edible fruits and a few are grown commercially for their fruits. This species is a herbaceous vine that dies back to the ground each winter and recovers the following spring. The large flowers are white with purple centers. The fruit is large, green and dimpled at maturity. The center contains numerous seeds surrounded in a sweet-sour, juicy aril. The leaves contain cyanide but are eaten by butterflies in the genus, Heliconius.

 

Several exotic passionvine species and hybrids are grown for their flowers and their attraction to butterflies. Flower colors are highly variable but the large flowered species are usually white, pink, red, or purple.

Location:

See plants at the Lake Oneida parking (lot 100.)

Size:

Small vine to about ten feet or more high.

Care Instructions:

Light: sun, part shade

Water: well-drained soil, drought tolerant

Soil: adaptable to soil types, no other special requirements

In Jacksonville, this plant grows best in a sunny, well-drained site. They respond well to irrigtion and fertilizer but do not require extra care. The greatest limit to growing passion vines in northeast Florida is predation by butterfly caterpillars. They can strip a passion vine to bare stems in a few weeks.