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Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Native Plants < Native Plant Database < Passiflora incarnata
One of our most interesting native plants is a member of a group of predominantly tropical plants called Passionflowers. Only a few species exist in temperate North America, and one of these is the one commonly called “maypop” because of the sound that the fruit makes when children step on it. You may see the vines trailing along roadsides and fields or using tendrils to climb fence posts and arbors. The vines that grow along the ground bloom just as well as the climbers.
Maypops are a good addition to a wildlife habitat garden. We have them in our yard, and over the years they have been popular with our gardening friends as “passalong” plants. Since plants recede in the winter and start from scratch each year, an individual plant never reaches an unwieldy size. If you like informal, low-maintenance plants that attract wildlife, you will be pleased with this plant. Just don’t be disturbed if the leaves are consumed by voracious butterfly caterpillars in the summer and early fall. Plenty of new plants will almost surely come up next spring.
Passifloraceae (Passion Flower Family)
An herbaceous vine with 3-to-6 inch leaves with 3 lobes. Blooms are as large as 3 inches across and elaborately fringed with lavender and white petals and sepals with purple markings. The fruit is a large green or yellow edible berry with many seeds. The name “passionflower” was given to this plant by Catholic priests who saw representations of the passion of Christ in different parts of the bloom.
6 to 15 feet in height (length).
Climbs by tendrils but may trail along the ground.
Rapid once the vine surfaces in late spring.
Full to part sun.
Grows best in rich, acid soil with pH of 5 to 6 but will tolerate other conditions.
Blooms are so fancy and distinctive they are difficult to describe in words, but once you see one you will always recognize it in the future. Dark green lobed leaves and ripe fruit are also an attractive addition to a wildlife garden.
Vines are a decorative element on fences and arbors. The deep root system may colonize, multiplying the number of young vines each spring. Recommendation: Plant in a large space, confine in containers, or dig up and transplant renegades.
Hummingbirds and bees pollinate the blooms; deer, rabbits, and other animals eat the fruit. This is a host plant for gulf fritillary, variegated fritillary, and zebra longwing butterflies.
Fields, pine woods, live oak woods, thin scrub, and fence rows throughout Georgia.
Seeds; cuttings; division of young plants from roots of established plants.
Text and photo by Rosalie Jensen.
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Passionflower
