Passion Flower (Passiflora membranacea)

Taxonomy and growth

Family: Passifloraceae
Genus: Passiflora
Foliage: evergreen
Growth rate: vigorous
Height: 5 m
Spread: 5 m
Fertility: self sterile
Flower type: hermaphrodite
Pollinators: Bees

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - raw or cooked^[5]. Sweet and well-flavoured, the fruit is 40 - 90mm long and 30 - 40mm wide^[5].

Plant part: Fruit

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche: Climber

Environment

Range: C. America - Southern Mexico to Panama and Costa Rica.
Habitat: High forest regions at altitudes up to 3,000 metres^[5].
Light: full sun
Shade tolerance: no shade
Water: moderate
Hardiness: Zone 9+
Soil textures: sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH: acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage: well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil: No
Drought: intolerant

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow late winter or early spring in a warm greenhouse. If sown in January and grown on fast it can flower and fruit in its first year^[7]. The seed germinates in 1 - 12 months at 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. It you are intending to grow the plants outdoors, it is probably best to keep them in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Mulch the roots well in late autumn to protect them from the cold. Cuttings of young shoots, 15cm with a heel, in spring^[1]. Leaf bud cuttings in spring. Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage^[6].

Cultivation

Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy^[1]^[2]. Dislikes highly alkaline soils^[3]. Plants are tolerant of temperatures that occasionally go down to about -5°c for short periods and so can possibly be grown outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. The top growth will be killed by the cold, but so long as the root is well mulched and is in a very well-drained soil, it should grow back in the spring^[5]. Roots of outdoor grown plants should be restricted to encourage fruiting^[1]. Plants produce tendrils and climb by attaching these to other plants. If fruit is required, especially when the plant is grown indoors, it is best to hand pollinate using pollen from a flower that has been open for 12 hours to pollinate a newly opened flower before midday^[7]^[2]. The flowers open in sunny weather and do not open on dull cloudy days^[4]. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back to ground level if required to rejuvenate the plant^[3]. Any pruning is best carried out in the spring^[4]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus^[2].

Passiflora speciesPassion Flower
Passiflora actiniaPassion Flower
Passiflora caeruleaPassion Flower
Passiflora edulisPassion Flower

References

F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
↩1 ↩2 ↩3
Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
↩1 ↩2
Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
↩1 ↩2
Vanderplank. J. Passion Flowers Cassell. London. 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34076-6
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
↩
RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987-00-00
↩1 ↩2