Passiflora incarnata, also known as the Purple Passionflower or Maypop, is a fruit –bearing perennial vine common to the southeast United States. Though often considered a weed in its native habitat, the plant is used in horticultural applications due to its fast-growing vines and uniquely beautiful flowers. These white-to-purple summer-blooming flowers have a very interesting structure, including a showy corona, and grow to 2-3 inches in diameter. The fruit, also referred to as a Maypop for the sound it makes when stepped upon, is approximately the size of a chicken egg, and turns from green to orange as it ripens. The vines can grow from 6 to 25 feet long, but generally don’t climb higher than 8 feet tall.

Passionflowers are primary producers native to temperate deciduous forests. They are pollinated by bees, and are self-sterile. The fruit is commonly eaten by animals, including songbirds, which helps to distribute the seeds. The fruits are also an important larval food for some species of butterfly. Maypop fruits are similar to their relative the Passion Fruit, P. edulis, and can be eaten raw or made into jam or jelly. Native Americans traditionally used P. incarnata for its sedative and anxioltyic properties, in addition to eating the sweet fruit. These medicinal uses have been expanded upon in recent years, with P. incarnata extracts being shown to treat withdrawal symptoms and exhibit an aphrodisiac effect, in addition to the plant’s traditional effects being confirmed through various scientific means. Further research is being done to uncover the specific compounds responsible for these properties, so that they can be more effectively used for pharmaceutical applications.

General: Passionflower Family (Passifloraceae). Purple passionflower is a native, perennial vine. The slightly pubescent vines climb with tendrils that arise from the axils of the leaves. The vines can range from 2 to 6 m long. The alternate leaves (6 to 15 cm long and wide) are palmate with 3 lobes and finely serrated margins. The spectacular flowers are pale-lavender or, rarely, white, with five petals (3 to 4 cm long, 4 to 7 mm wide) and five sepals (2.5 to 3.5 cm long). The complex flower has a “crown” or corona of numerous fringelike segments that arise from above the petals. The corona is white or lavender with purple bands. The reproductive parts are interestingly arranged and add to the exotic beauty of the flower. The unique appearance of the flowers was purported, by early Spanish explorers, to represent the sufferings of Christ (for a detailed description see Coffey 1993). The plants bloom from June to September. Sweet-smelling, yellowish fruits develop in two to three months after flowering and may be harvested from July to October. The pulpy fruit, or “maypop”, is large and oval, about the size of a hen’s egg (4 to 10 cm long). The fruit contains many flattened, dark-colored seeds (4 to 6 mm long) that are covered with an arillate pulp, which is the edible portion of the fruit.

Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Habitat: Purple passionflower is common in open or cultivated fields, rocky slopes, thin woods, roadsides, fencerows and thickets.

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

Passiflora incarnata L.:
United States (North America)
Madagascar (Africa & Madagascar)
Caribbean (Caribbean)
Belize (Mesoamerica)
Brazil (South America)
Peru (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Passiflora incarnata is native to the south-eastern United States. Specimens have been found across the eastern half of the US, as far north as Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania; however, it becomes vastly more common as one moves farther south (Orick, 2008).

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Distribution: A native of the South East United States.

Perennial shrub, climbing with pubescent to glabrescent tendrils. Leaves with l-2 cm long, pubescent petiole bearing 2 sessile glands at top; lamina broadly ovate, truncate, minutely pubescent, 8-9 cm long, 7-8 cm broad, 3-lobed; lobes elliptic lanceolate, serrate, acute; stipules subulate, 4-6 mm long. Flowers solitary axillary on 3-3.5 cm long, articulated, pubescent peduncle, showy, pinkish pale, 4-5 cm across; pedicel c. 4 mm long; bracts with 5-6 glands, oblong obovate, c. 1.5 cm long, c. 1 cm broad, cuneate, undulate towards denticulate acuminate apex; hypanthium cupular. Sepals 5, oblong. Petals 5, oblong lanceolate, 2-2.5 cm long, 8-10 mm broad, acute, cuspidate, pale-pink. Corona multiseriate, purplish blue. Stamens 5, filaments c. 8 mm long; anthers linear-oblong, c. 8 mm long. Ovary subglobose, c. 5 mm long, pubescent; gynophore 1.2-1.5 cm long; styles c. 8 mm long. Fruit oblong-ovoid, c. 5 cm long, yellow.

Passiflora incarnata are native to temperate deciduous forests, growing best in open areas with fertile soil. They can grow in areas of partial shade, but require at least a half day’s worth of direct sunlight. The vines are able to trail along the ground in fields, or they can climb fences or larger plants in forested areas.

Purple passionflowers require direct sunlight for at least half of the day. The plants prefer fertile, well-drained soils but will grow in heavier clay soils. Pick a spot in the garden where the plants may either climb or spread freely. The 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 seeds directly into an outdoor seedbed. The seedlings may be transplanted after they have three or four leaves or, once established, they can be used to provide cuttings or divisions. 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.

Passiflora incarnata (Purple Passionflower)
(Ants suck nectar from extra-floral nectaries at the base of the leaves and at the base of bracts underneath the flowers/buds; bees suck nectar and collect pollen from the flowers; observations are from Krombein et al. and McLain as indicated below)

Bees (short-tongued)
Andrenidae (Panurginae): Anthemurgus passiflorae sn cp olg (Kr)

Ants
Formicidae: Camponotus nearcticus sn (McL), Crematogaster lineolata sn (McL), Forelius pruinosum sn (McL), Formica pallidefulva sn (McL), Solenopsis invicta sn (McL)

Fl.Per.: July August.

Though the family Passifloraceae was originally thought to belong to the order Violales, recent reclassification places it in the order Malpighiales. The Passifloraceae family contains two tribes; the monophyletic Passifloreae tribe contains 14 genera, including Passiflora. When first described in detail, the genus Passiflora was said to contain 22 subgenera. Now, after more advanced phylogenetic research, Passiflora has been restructured to contain four subgenera of New World species. Passiflora also includes three distinct clades: Passiflora, Decaloba, and Astrophea. Passiflora incarnata is most closely related to P. edulis, the common Passion Fruit; these two plants make up their own monophyletic clade within the larger Passiflora clade (Muschner, 2003).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 4
Specimens with Barcodes: 6
Species With Barcodes: 1

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Specimens with Barcodes: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

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). Considered rare in some states.

These plant materials are readily available from commercial sources. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

This plant is listed as a invasive by several authoritative sources listed in the Plants Profile for this species at the PLANTS website. Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely.

Always read the label and safety instructions for each control method. Trade names and control measures appear in this document only to provide specific information. USDA, NRCS does not guarantee or warranty the products and control methods named, and other products may be equally effective.

To control the spread of purple passionflower, remove the suckers regularly. The vines may be trained onto a trellis, fence or tree trunk.

This plant may become invasive in some regions or habitats and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding its status and use. Weed and invasive information is also available from the PLANTS Web site.

Though considered a weed in its native habitat, Passiflora incarnata has many uses. The species yields an edible fruit similar to their relative P. edulis, and can be eaten raw or made into jam or jelly. Various parts of the plant have long been used as a natural remedy for many different ailments, including burns and skin irritations, inflammation of the eyes, and muscle spasms due to asthma and epilepsy. The plant’s extracts have been shown to successfully treat anxiety, insomnia, and withdrawal symptoms in recent studies (Wikipedia, 2012). Passiflora incarnata is also planted for horticulture purposes, and the vines can be used in lieu of twine.

Ethnobotanic: The Houma, Cherokee and other Native American tribes used purple passionflower for food, drink, and medicinal purposes. Captain Smith, in 1612, reported that Native Americans in Virginia planted the vines for the fruits. The fruits were eaten either raw or boiled to make syrup. A beverage was made from the fruits by crushing and straining the juice. Sometimes the juice was thickened by mixing it with flour or cornmeal. The young shoots and leaves were eaten, cooked with other greens. The roots were used in an infusion to treat boils, and to “draw out inflammation” of wounds from briers or locusts. Babies were given a tea made from the roots to aid in weaning. The roots were beaten with warm water and used as eardrops to treat earaches. Root infusions were used to treat liver problems. Soaking the crushed roots in drinking water made a “blood tonic.” The plant was also used as a sedative to treat nervous conditions and hysteria.

Wildlife: Purple passionflowers attract butterflies.

Cultivated throughout the world for its beautiful flowers.