Intro: An herbaceous perennial vine of roadsides, fencerows, thickets and fields.

Stems: Erect, trailing or climbing by tightly coiled tendrils; smooth or with short, soft hairs.

Leaves: Leaves alternate, petiolate, palmately 3-lobed (rarely 5-lobed), 2 1/2 to 8 in. long, toothed, thick and leathery, and smooth or with short, soft hairs beneath.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers solitary (rarely 2) on short stalks from leaf axils, about 2 1/2 in. wide, showy and with a complex structure: 5 oblong sepals with hornlike extensions, green outside, white inside; 5 petals resembling the sepals except white or purplish and lacking horns; a "crown" of purple and white thread-like segments that mostly obscures petals and sepals; and a central stalk supporting 5 stamens and a fleshy, green, 3-parted style.

Fruits: Fruit a yellowish-green, oval berry.

Comments:

Height: to 12 ft.

plant sale text: Purple Passion-flower produces detailed flowers of lavender and white that later ripen into pale green egg-like fruits. A common name used for this species is "May-pop," referring to its (edible) fruits. The lovely blooms make this vine attractive to people and the foliage and nectar make it attractive to butterflies and their larvae (Frittilaries). It can be a vigorous spreader. The Cherokees used this plant both for food and various medicinal purposes.

bloom table text:

description: An herbaceous perennial vine of roadsides, fencerows, thickets and fields.

stems: Erect, trailing or climbing by tightly coiled tendrils; smooth or with short, soft hairs.

leaves: Leaves alternate, petiolate, palmately 3-lobed (rarely 5-lobed), 2 1/2 to 8 in. long, toothed, thick and leathery, and smooth or with short, soft hairs beneath.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers solitary (rarely 2) on short stalks from leaf axils, about 2 1/2 in. wide, showy and with a complex structure: 5 oblong sepals with hornlike extensions, green outside, white inside; 5 petals resembling the sepals except white or purplish and lacking horns; a "crown" of purple and white thread-like segments that mostly obscures petals and sepals; and a central stalk supporting 5 stamens and a fleshy, green, 3-parted style.

fruits: Fruit a yellowish-green, oval berry.

comments:

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: eastern United States