{"title":"Passionflowers (Passiflora)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe name comes from sixteenth-century Spanish missionaries in South America who read the Passion into the architecture of the flower: the corona a crown of thorns, the three stigmas the nails, the five stamens the wounds. Whatever one makes of the reading, the flower is a genuine piece of engineering, and the native maypop, \u003cem\u003ePassiflora incarnata\u003c\/em\u003e, produces one of the most elaborate blooms of any hardy plant in North America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe maypop is a Southeastern native, dying to the ground each winter and returning from deep running roots, then climbing fast through summer with lavender-and-white flowers and an egg-shaped fruit that is edible and pops underfoot, which is where the common name comes from. Passionflowers are also the host plants for gulf fritillary and zebra longwing butterflies, so expect the leaves to be eaten and count that a success. One honest caution: the roots run, and a maypop will come up several feet from where you set the plant. Give the vine a fence, a wild edge, or a container.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"passiflora-incarnata","title":"Passiflora incarnata","description":"\u003cp\u003eFew native plants look as improbable as the maypop. \u003cem\u003ePassiflora incarnata\u003c\/em\u003e, the wild passionflower of the American Southeast, opens intricate three-inch flowers of pale lavender and white, each ringed with a fringed corona of wavy filaments above a central column of stamens and styles. Spanish missionaries read the whole Passion of Christ into that structure, the corona for the crown of thorns, the five anthers for the wounds, the three styles for the nails, and gave the genus its devotional name. Common along field edges and roadsides from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas, the vine climbs by curling tendrils or sprawls across open ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe name maypop comes from the fruit, a lime-sized, egg-shaped berry that turns from green to leathery yellow and pops underfoot with a soft report, or, some say, from the shoots that may pop up unexpectedly in May. Inside, a fragrant, gelatinous pulp surrounds the seeds, sweet-tart and reminiscent of guava, long gathered from the wild for eating out of hand, for jellies, and for cool summer drinks. Songbirds and small mammals take the fallen fruit as readily as people do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLong valued for more than the fruit, the maypop was brewed by Cherokee and other Southeastern peoples into calming teas, and later became one of the best-known nervine herbs of American and European practice, prized as a gentle remedy for restlessness and sleeplessness. In the garden the vine earns a place ecologically as well: the leaves are a host for the caterpillars of the Gulf fritillary and other passion-vine butterflies, and the nectar draws bees, butterflies, and the occasional hummingbird all summer long.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrow the maypop on a fence, a trellis, a mailbox, or an arbor in full sun and sandy, well-drained soil, and give the roots room, since a settled plant spreads by runners into a generous, sometimes wandering colony. From about zone 7 the top dies back each winter and the vine returns from the root with vigor in late spring, so treat the plant as a fast, flowering perennial where frost is sharp, and site the maypop where the summer-long parade of flowers can be watched at close range.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057934766195,"sku":"PASS-INCA-01G","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-1266.jpg?v=1720139971"},{"product_id":"passiflora-incarnata-alba","title":"Passiflora incarnata alba","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePassiflora incarnata alba\u003c\/em\u003e is the rare pure white form of the native maypop, the wild passionflower of the American Southeast. The flower keeps all the improbable structure of the species, an intricate three-inch bloom with a fringed corona above a central column of stamens and styles, but drained of every trace of lavender: white petals, white sepals, and a white corona, luminous and cool against the deep green foliage. The effect is a ghostly, refined version of a familiar roadside wildflower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis selection is a Woodlanders introduction, a rare pure white-flowered maypop shared with us many years ago by our friend Gene Cline, a Georgia native-plant pioneer and expert. Passing a plant like this one from garden to garden is exactly the sort of quiet conservation that keeps an uncommon native form in cultivation, and growing the white maypop carries that small stewardship forward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike the species, the white maypop climbs by curling tendrils or sprawls across open ground, hosts the caterpillars of the Gulf fritillary and other passion-vine butterflies, and ripens the same lime-sized, egg-shaped fruit, green turning leathery yellow, with sweet-tart, aromatic pulp around dark seeds. Bees and butterflies work the summer flowers, and songbirds take the fallen fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrow the white maypop on a fence, a trellis, or a mailbox post in full sun and sandy, well-drained soil, and give the roots room, since the vine runs by root into a generous colony. From about zone 7 the top dies back each winter and returns from the root in late spring, so treat the plant as a fast, flowering perennial where frost is sharp. Site where the cool white flowers can be read at close range, since they glow at dusk when the lavender forms have gone to shadow.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057934831731,"sku":"PASS-INCA-ALBA-01G","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-845.jpg?v=1720139974"},{"product_id":"passiflora-incarnata-x-cincinnata-incense","title":"Passiflora incarnata x cincinnata ‘Incense’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePassiflora\u003c\/em\u003e 'Incense' is a passionflower bred for pure spectacle, an extraordinary cross between the native maypop, \u003cem\u003ePassiflora incarnata\u003c\/em\u003e, and the South American \u003cem\u003ePassiflora cincinnata\u003c\/em\u003e. The hybrid gathers the toughness of the native parent and the drama of the exotic one into a single deep-violet flower four to five inches across, the wavy corona filaments frilled and banded in purple and white, carrying a sweet, incense-like fragrance that gives the plant its name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce summer heat arrives, 'Incense' behaves as though it owns the fence. The vine throws a long succession of large, richly scented flowers from early summer until frost, each a magnet for Gulf fritillaries, native bees, swallowtails, and curious passersby. Fruit set is light, so the whole performance is in the blossom, which is exactly the point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the exotic look, 'Incense' keeps the hardiness of the native parent. In many Southeastern gardens, including here at Woodlanders in Aiken, South Carolina, the vine dies to the ground in winter and returns reliably each year from the root when planted in a protected, well-drained spot, typically hardy to about zone 7 with a little winter protection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFast-growing and tendril-climbing, 'Incense' quickly clothes a trellis, an arbor, a porch post, a mailbox, or a sunny fence. Give full sun, warm and well-drained soil, and a sturdy support, and the vine repays the season with a curtain of jewel-toned flowers. Site where the fragrance and the butterfly traffic can be enjoyed at close range, near a path, a gate, or a seat, and cut the old growth to the ground in late winter to keep the plant tidy and vigorous.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057934930035,"sku":"PASS-INCA-CINC-INCE-01G","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/D342EF9D-33E4-452F-ACC6-FF080CE015DA.jpg?v=1752844958"},{"product_id":"passiflora-x-amethyst","title":"Passiflora x ‘Amethyst’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePassiflora\u003c\/em\u003e 'Amethyst' is one of the most rewarding of the ornamental passionflowers, a vigorous hybrid grown for large, jewel-toned blooms of glowing red-purple. Each flower opens nearly flat, three to four inches across, the petals and sepals reflexing back to set off a short, banded corona and a lifted central column of stamens and styles. The parentage is somewhat uncertain, as with many old garden passionflowers, but the effect is unmistakable: an amethyst star held out along the vine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom early summer to frost the vine carries a steady run of flowers, each lasting a day or two and drawing bees, butterflies, and the occasional hummingbird. In frost-free gardens 'Amethyst' holds semi-evergreen and blooms nearly year round; where winters bite, the show is a long and generous summer one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the tropical look, 'Amethyst' is tougher than the flowers suggest. Here in South Carolina the vine freezes to the ground in winter and returns with real vigor in spring, flowering through most of the summer, so gardeners at the cool edge of passionflower country can treat the plant as a fast, flowering perennial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrow 'Amethyst' on a fence, a trellis, an arbor, or an obelisk in a sunny spot with good, well-drained soil, and give a sturdy support for the tendrils to grip. Site where the striking flowers can be read at close range, near a path, a gate, or a seat, pair with other sun-lovers, and cut the old growth back in late winter where the vine dies down. A large container makes the plant easy to shelter through hard freezes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057934995571,"sku":"PASS-AMET-01G","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-846.jpg?v=1720139980"},{"product_id":"passiflora-caerulea","title":"Passiflora caerulea","description":"\u003cp\u003ePassiflora caerulea is a vigorous evergreen vine climbing by tendrils. The leaves are deeply divided with narrow lobes. The flowers showy and intricate but ephemeral. Flowers three to four inches across and blue is typical for the species. This is a beautiful vine with striking flowers but can become rampant if not confined or restrained. It is native to Argentina.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057935093875,"sku":"PASS-CAER-01G","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-843.jpg?v=1720139983"},{"product_id":"passiflora-foetida-var-gossypifolia","title":"Passiflora foetida var. gossypifolia","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is an herbaceous perennial vine climbing with tendrils. It has hairy lobed leave and 2 inch wide pink intricate flowers typical of Passiflora with feathery bracts beneath the flower. The vine is also noteworthy for the red fruits the size of small pullet eggs with the persistent bracts which hang on in fall as foliage dies down. An interesting vine for the sunny arbor or fence. We originally collected this as seed in San Antonio, Texas. Native to Central and South America and the West Indies but naturalized elsewhere in warm regions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057935192179,"sku":"PASS-FOET-GOSS-01G","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-844.jpg?v=1720139986"},{"product_id":"passiflora-caerulea-constance-elliot","title":"Passiflora caerulea ‘Constance Elliott’","description":"\u003cp\u003ePassiflora caerulea is a vigorous evergreen vine climbing by tendrils. The leaves are deeply divided with narrow lobes. The flowers showy and intricate but ephemeral. Flowers are three to four inches across and while blue is typical for the species 'Constance Elliott' is a white-flowered form. This is a beautiful vine with striking flowers but can become rampant if not confined or restrained. It is native to Argentina.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Woodlanders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42057935323251,"sku":"PASS-CAER-CONS-ELLI-01G","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/7505\/5987\/files\/DETA-1263.jpg?v=1720139990"}],"url":"https:\/\/woodlanders.net\/collections\/passionflowers.oembed","provider":"Woodlanders","version":"1.0","type":"link"}