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| ## Purple passionflower {#purple-passionflower .Title-Header}         |
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| *Passiflora incarnata* L*.*                                           |
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| Plant Symbol = PAIN6                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Booneville Plant Materials Center, Booneville,
Arkansas

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.001388888888889in"
height="2.1791666666666667in"}

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

Wild passion flower, maypop, apricot vine, old field apricot,
Holy-Trinity flower, molly-pop, passion vine, pop-apple, granadilla,
maycock, maracoc, maracock, white sarsaparilla.

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

*Horticultural*: One of the uses of the purple passionflower is
ornamental in nature. This is because of their showy blooms and their
climbing ability over fences, arbors, or up walls.

*Ethnobotany*: Native Americans used the poultice root for boils, cuts,
earaches and inflammation. Dried leaves boiled with water were also used
to treat insomnia.

*Wildlife*: Purple passionflower attracts butterflies and young tendrils
are eaten by wild turkey. Deer resistance is moderate.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description and Adaptation {#description-and-adaptation .Header-3}

The purple passion-flower is a native, herbaceous vine, 25 foot long,
which climbs with axillary tendrils or sprawls along the ground. In rare
cases, they can be white. Intricate, three-inch lavender flowers are
short-stalked from leaf axils. The petals and sepals subtend a fringe of
wavy or crimped, hair-like segments. The pistil and stamens are also
showy. Three-lobed, deciduous leaves are dark-green above and whitish
below. The plants bloom from June to September. The pulpy fruit or
"maypop" develops in two to three months after flowering and may be
harvested from July to October. It will be yellowish in color and it is
about the size of a large oval hen's egg.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

The purple passionflower requires direct sunlight for at least half of
the day and prefers fertile, well-drained soil although it will grow in
heavier clay soils. Plants may be propagated from seed or by cuttings.
Seeds should be collected in the fall after the fruit has begun to
shrivel. Mature seeds are brown in color with no traces of white. Wash
the gelatinous covering from the seeds if they are to be stored for any
length of time. It is best to plant the seed directly into an outdoor
seedbed. Cuttings should be taken in the early spring. Remove the lower
leaves from a 15 to 20 cm cutting before placing it in the rooting
medium. Removing the suckers that develop around the established plants
provides materials for propagating by division. With a shovel, separate
and remove the suckers and roots. Transplant the divisions and water
them immediately.

##### Control/Management  {#controlmanagement .Header-3}

Purple passionflowers may become invasive in some regions or habitats.
To control the spread of purple passionflower, remove the suckers
regularly.

##### Prepared By and Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-and-species-coordinator .Header-3}

*Debbie Orick*, USDA NRCS Booneville Plant Materials Center, Booneville,
Arkansas

Edited: August 15, 2008 DLO; 080821 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence venue,
SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA
is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Conservation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/)*