Passion Flower, Bluecrown passionflower, Blue Passion Flower
Passiflora caerulea
Family: Passifloraceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early fall, Late summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal, Variable height, Variable spread.
Passiflora caerulea is an evergreen Climber growing to 10 m (32ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Not known
Central and Western S. America - Brazil.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Fruit - raw or cooked. The unripe fruits are cooked, whilst the ripe fruits are eaten raw or made into a refreshing drink. The flavour is not very desirable. The fruit is about 6cm long and 4cm wide, it is partly hollow and contains a small amount of pleasant acid-tasting pulp surrounding a large quantity of seeds. The flowers can be made into a syrup.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
This plant can be used as a rootstock for some of the less hardy members of this genus, conferring on them an additional cold tolerance. Be careful that root suckers do not take over from the grafted plant.
Rootstock: Plants used as the rootstock for grafting scions onto.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Arbor, container. Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy. Dislikes highly alkaline soils. Hardy to about -15°c, if plants are cut down to the ground by frost they can regenerate from the base. Very fast growing. Roots of outdoor grown plants should be restricted to encourage fruiting. Plants produce tendrils and climb by attaching these to other plants. The plant has a very long flowering period, from early summer to early autumn, though individual flowers only live for about 48 hours. The flowers are open all night and start to close in the morning. The flowers are delicately scented. The cultivar 'Constance Elliot' is more fragrant. 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. The flowers open in sunny weather and do not open on dull cloudy days. Fruit is only formed after long hot summers in Britain. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back to ground level if required to rejuvenate the plant. Any pruning is best carried out in the spring. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Special Features: Not North American native, Wetlands plant, Attracts butterflies, Attractive flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: 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. 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. Leaf bud cuttings in spring. Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Climber
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist