Maypop (hardy passionflower)

Sun

Full sun for best flowering and fruiting; tolerates light shade.

Water

Water regularly during establishment and prolonged dry spells. Established roots tolerate some drought, but flowering and fruiting benefit from even moisture.

Soil

Well-drained soil, from sandy loam to clay loam; avoid ground that stays wet in winter.

Height

10-20 ft (3-6 m) with support

Spread

3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m) of trained growth; underground runners can spread much farther

Flowers

Summer into early autumn; white to pale lavender petals with a fringed purple-and-white central crown.

Foliage

Green, alternate leaves, usually deeply divided into three pointed lobes; tendrils grip nearby supports.

Growth

Fast once growth begins in late spring

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   2 ft (0.6 m)

2. After 1 year

   3 ft (1.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   5 ft (1.5 m)

4. After 3 years

   6 ft (1.8 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

the US

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Provide a sturdy trellis or wire framework and guide young shoots onto it.
• Water deeply during dry spells, especially while fruit is developing.
• Apply compost in spring; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which encourages leaves rather than flowers.
• Mulch the root area before winter in colder regions, keeping wet mulch away from the crown.
• Remove unwanted suckers promptly and keep the plant away from delicate shrubs.
• For dependable fruit set, grow two genetically different plants rather than two divisions of one plant.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, cut dead stems back to near ground level before new shoots appear. Thin crowded shoots and trim wandering growth during summer without removing all the flowering stems.

Pick fruit in late summer or autumn when it changes from firm green to yellowish green, softens and releases easily; ripe fruit may fall naturally. Eat the aromatic pulp surrounding the seeds, not the rind or unripe fruit. Plants may fruit in their first or second growing season, but cool summers and poor cross-pollination can prevent a useful crop.

Late winter

Cut back dead stems and repair the supporting framework.

Spring

Plant after severe frost risk has passed, in a sunny position with well-drained soil.

Late spring

Watch for late-emerging shoots before disturbing the root area; add compost and guide shoots onto supports.

Summer

Water during dry spells and remove suckers outside the intended growing area.

Late summer

Check developing fruit for softening and an easy release from the stem.

Autumn

Collect ripe fallen fruit and mulch the root area before hard frosts in colder gardens.

• Train over a strong fence or trellis for seasonal screening.
• Grow on a sunny arbor where the flowers can be seen at eye level.
• Use at the edge of a wildlife garden, with room for suckers and caterpillar feeding.
• Include on a separate support in an edible garden for flowers and late-season fruit.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Wildlife garden, Pollinator garden, Edible landscape, Homestead and Southern.

Plant it with: Purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Butterfly weed, Little bluestem and Garden phlox.

Wildlife: Flowers attract large bees, especially carpenter bees. In parts of North America, the foliage feeds Gulf fritillary, variegated fritillary and zebra longwing caterpillars; wildlife also eats the ripe fruit.

• Unwanted suckers: dig out shoots with their attached roots while small; avoid planting beside delicate borders.
• Little or no fruit: provide a genetically different second plant, encourage pollinating bees and choose a warm, sunny site.
• Root rot or winter losses: improve drainage and avoid waterlogged winter soil, especially near the cold end of its range.
• Caterpillar feeding: passionflower butterflies can strip leaves in its native range; tolerate damage where possible, as established plants often regrow.

Ripe fruit pulp is edible for people. Other parts, including foliage and unripe fruit, contain potentially harmful compounds and should not be eaten or offered to cats, dogs or horses. Species-specific poisoning information for these animals is limited, so do not assume the vine is safe forage; seek veterinary advice after substantial ingestion.

Where it spreads. Can spread aggressively by underground runners in eastern and southern United States gardens, within its native range. It may colonize nearby beds or disturbed ground; this spreading habit is not the same as being a listed non-native invasive plant.

• Blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea)

  Usually has five to seven narrow leaf lobes and blue-and-white flowers; maypop usually has three broader leaf lobes and a more densely fringed lavender-purple crown.

• Purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis)

  A frost-tender vine with glossy leaves and fruit that usually ripens purple or yellow, depending on the form; maypop is a hardy, usually winter-dormant perennial with greenish-yellow ripe fruit.

• Yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea)

  Has much smaller yellow-green flowers, shallowly three-lobed leaves and small dark berries rather than maypop's large flowers and egg-sized fruit.

Passiflora refers to Christian interpretations of the flower as symbols of the Passion, while incarnata means flesh-coloured.

Propagation. Separate rooted suckers in spring or take root cuttings while dormant. Seed germination can be slow and irregular; seedlings provide genetic diversity for cross-pollination, while divisions remain genetically identical to the parent.

Accepted botanical name

Passiflora incarnata

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Bermuda, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.