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Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Passiflora incarnata
Phenology Observation Sheet for Wildflowers and Herbs

COMMON NAME

Purple passion flower

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Passiflora incarnata

ALSO KNOWN AS

apricot vine, maypop, purple passion vine

Plant family

Passion-flower (Passifloraceae)

Plant group

Wildflowers and Herbs

Purple passion flower is an herbaceous perennial vine native to south eastern North America.
45 reports
25+
OBSERVERS
45+
OBSERVATIONS
!

Identification hints

The distinct showy flowers have a white and purple "corona", a ring of fine wavy hairlike structures, between the petals and stamens. The leaves of purple passion flower are easily identified by three deep lobes.
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Did you know?

Purple passion flower has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes for centuries by Indigenous peoples of North America and by Europeans. The name "passionflower" is a reference to the flower being symbolic for "passion of Christ", a central story in Christian religion.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Alabama , Arkansas , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Maryland , Missouri , Mississippi , North Carolina , New Jersey , Ohio , Oklahoma , Pennsylvania , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , Virginia , West Virginia
HABITAT
Purple passion flowers can tolerate a range of temperatures and soil types but prefer sun to partial shade. Plants can be found along roadsides, in most types of grasslands and fields, and along he edges of woodlands streams, and riverbanks.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
Purple passion flower has deciduous dark green alternate leaves with three deep lobes and toothed edges. Leaves measure up to 6 inches.
Flowers
The spectacular flowers are pale lavender or, rarely, white with ten white to purple petals open behind a "corona" of numerous crimped fringelike segments that arise from above the petals. The corona is typically white or lavender in color banded with purple or white stripes in a circular shape. They also have 3-4 prominent club-like stigmas protruding from the center of the flowers. Flowers are self-infertile, and rely on native bees such as bumblebees and carpenter bees for pollination.
Fruits
The fruit of the purple passion flower is called a maypop, because of the popping sound when opened, but it is technically a fleshy orange-yellow to green berry filled with seeds. They fruits are about the size of a hen’s egg. The pulp is juicy, and tastes similar to an apricot or guava, but with a stronger and more aromatic flavor.
Bloom Time
Purple passion flowers bloom between April and September depending on the location.

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