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The Beauty and Function of Passion Flower
Passion Flower Propagation and Cultivation
The wild habitat of Passiflora
The source of the name Passion Flower
Spring is Approaching fast!
Things to Consider for Spring
New and Updated Herb Articles
Herb Growing Technique
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Passion Flower, or Passiflora is as useful as it is beautiful
Passion Flower, or Passiflora, is a genus of about 500 species of plants in the Passifloraceae family, which consist mostly of vines. Some are shrubs and a few species are herbaceous.
Passiflora alatocaerulea
Passion Flower Propagation and Cultivation
Plant type: Hardy Perennial Gardening Zones: 8 to 11
Passiflora alatocaerulea or Passiflora incarnata are good plants for a bright window or greenhouse as they bloom readily. The herbs can be propagated from seed with some difficulty but are not difficult to grow once started. Some suggest using root division as a method of propagation, but I believe starting Passiflora from good cuttings is the best choice. By starting from cuttings you can duplicate, or "clone," your favorite plants. My personal preference is to order young plants from a reliable, online herb supplier. At present, young Passion Flower seedlings are not widely available, although I expect the availability will improve as Passion Flower gains in popularity.
Passiflora incarnata
Passion Flower transplants well from the wild, requiring full sun in a well-drained, sandy, slightly acidic soil. To grow the herb in pots, plant it in a mix of a good peat moss-based potting soil with 30%-50% sand or small gravel. Remember to keep it watered but not soggy. It is an aggressive tendril climbing single vine. It can grow as much as three inches a day so a trellis must be provided. Given the opportunity it will climb to the eaves of your home in just a few short weeks! A blooming Passion Flower is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser in any surrounding.
The habitat in which passionflower grows best is Virginia and Kentucky, south to Florida and Texas
Passion flowers are native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas. Depending on the species, the plants have large three lobed serrated leaves with beautifully intricate flowers that can be 2 to 3 inches across. It is commonly found growing in sandy thickets and open fields, roadsides and fence rows.
Most Passiflora are vines thought to have originated in either the cooler mountains or the much hotter tropical rain forest. To survive and reproduce in these very competitive environments many species grow quickly using their passion flower vine to climb up trees to reach the forest canopy and full sun. The trailing stems then begin to flower, at each leaf junction, attracting pollinators, such as bees, moths, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds. Nearly always in bloom, Passiflora alatocaerulea is a good plant for bright window or greenhouse.
The passion fruit is cultivated extensively in the Caribbean and south Florida for its fruit. A number of species of Passiflora are cultivated outside their natural range because of their beautiful flowers. Passion fruit has evolved into a wide variety, made wider by our man made hybrids. Passion flower produces stunningly colorful, perfumed flowers with additional sweet nectar glands on leaves.
Flowers of Passiflora bloom from June to August. Gather edible fresh, juicy fruit when soft and light yellow-green. The passion fruit, when ripe, is yellow-green and the size of a small hen's egg, the yellow pulp is sweet and edible. In addition, the fruits contain a juice with a unique aromatic taste and smell. Passion fruit is so sweet and aromatic the fruit is used in Hawaiian Punch for flavor. The delicious fruit and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked in jellies and jams. Harvest the herb leaves to dry after some of the fruit have matured. The young leaves of Passion Fruit can be cooked vegetable as a vegetable or eaten in salads. Passiflora species are eaten as food plants by moth larva and many butterflies.
The name Passion Flower does not refer to love, but to the passion of Christ
The 3 stamens represent the wounds of Christ; the 12 petals represent the apostles. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish missionaries discovered the flower and adopted its unique physical characteristics as symbols of the Crucifixion. Personally, I think it's a stretch...
The flower has been given names reflecting this symbolism throughout Europe. In Spain, it is known as Espina de Cristo (Christ's thorn). In Germany, it was once known as Muttergottes-Schuzchen (Mother-of-God's Star). It is known as clock-faced flowers in Japan. In that country the Passiflora is becoming a symbol for homosexual youths.
In the Southeastern United States, the Passion Flower is locally known as the wild apricot, maypop and ocoee (oh-ko-ee). The Eastern Cherokee Native Americans in Tennessee called it “uwa’ga hi” (ooh-wah-ga-hi) which means "apricot place.” When the first Europeans to arrive tried to pronounce the word, it somehow came out "ocoee." The Ocoee River, Ocoee Valley and the city of Ocoee, Florida are a few of the places named for the translation. Passion Flower became the Tennessee State Wildflower.
Passion Flower as a great Medicinal Herb
Passion Flower is a medicinal as well as edible herb. The striking 2-3 inch flowers are a religious symbol to some, but to others the enlarged, erect reproductive organs are a visual aphrodisiac! The dried herb is often exported from America to Europe for use as an alternative medicine. There is scientific evidence of the medicinal properties of this herb. Recent studies have pointed to the flavonoids in the Passion Flower as the primary property responsible for its relaxing and anxiety-reducing effects.
Some Passion Flower plants are being studied and show promise in fighting Parkinson's disease, cancer, HIV, leukemia and other diseases. The leaves and stems are considered medicinal and are used as antispasmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, hypnotic, narcotic, sedative and vasodilator treatments.
The Passion Flower is used as an alternative medicine to treat insomnia, nervous tension, irritability, neuralgia, irritable bowel syndrome and premenstrual tension.
An infusion of the Passion Flower plant is said to depress the motor nerves of the spinal cord, making it very valuable in treating back pain. The infusion is also a sedative, slightly reducing blood pressure and increasing the respiratory rate. The herb contains alkaloids and flavonoids, which effective as a non-addictive sedative that do not cause drowsiness. It is of great service in epilepsy.
The Passion Flower has a long history of use among Native Americans, in both North and Central America. It is used to treat insomnia, hysteria and epilepsy, and is valued for its painkilling properties. The plant is not recommended for use during pregnancy.
It has been found to contain beta-carboline harmala alkaloids, known as *MAOI's (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) with anti-depressant properties. The Passion Flower containing MAOI’s has been used by some daring souls to enhance the effects of mind-altering drugs.
Its lack of tolerance for cooler temperatures is no doubt a limiting factor for wide acceptance of this wonderful, versatile plant. The more I study it, the higher it has moved on my list of “must have” herbs for each new spring. It is not widely available but with patience one can always locate are reliable plant supplier. I am sure that those prospects will steadily improve as Passion Flower gains in popularity.
Passion Flower sounds too good to be true considering its beauty, ease of cultivation, growing commercial value, culinary possibilities and medicinal properties. This summer I am growing my first two Passiflora. The first as a companion in the greenhouse and the other to enjoy on the patio. Both are doing well, growing aggressively towards the roof, producing a new bud and beautiful flower most every other day!
Do yourself a favor and look into growing Passion Flower today!
Thomas Kueny, Publisher - http://www.growing-herbs.com