Passion Flower (Passiflora umbilicata)
At a glance
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −6.7 °C
Cultivation
Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy. This species is hardy in the mildest areas of Britain. Very fast growing. Plants produce tendrils and climb by attaching these to other plants. If fruit is required, especially when the plant is grown indoors, it is best to hand pollinate using pollen from a flower that has been open for 12 hours to pollinate a newly opened flower before midday. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back to ground level if required to rejuvenate the plant. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Propagation
Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow late winter or early spring in a warm greenhouse. If sown in January and grown on fast it can flower and fruit in its first year. The seed germinates in 1 - 12 months at 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. It you are intending to grow the plants outdoors, it is probably best to keep them in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Mulch the roots well in late autumn to protect them from the cold. Cuttings of young shoots, 15cm with a heel, in spring. Leaf bud cuttings in spring. Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is up to 70mm long and 40mm wide.
Habitat
Grows in the mountains at elevations of 2,500 - 3,000 metres.
Native range
South-western S. America - Argentina and Bolivia.