Passiflora incarnata
| Passiflora incarnata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 20' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Passiflora incarnata (common name: maypops)
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[1]. 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[2].
Leaf bud cuttings in spring.
Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage[3].
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy[2]. Another report says that it prefers a well-drained sandy slightly acid soil in full sun[4].
In a well-drained soil the roots are hardy to about -20°c, although top growth is killed back by frost[5][6]. The top growth is cut back almost to the ground each year by some people and the plant treated as a herbaceous perennial[1]. The roots should be mulched in winter to prevent them from freezing. Plants thrive in a short growing season[5].
A climbing plant, supporting itself by means of tendrils[7].
Resistant to pests and diseases[5]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[6].
Cultivated for its edible fruit by the North American Indians[8][9]. Plants yield from 5 to 20 fruits annually in the wild[5].
Outdoor grown plants should have their roots restricted in order to encourage fruit production instead of excessive vegetative growth[2]. Hand pollinate using pollen from a flower that has been open for 12 hours to pollinate a newly opened flower before midday[1].
Range: Eastern N. America - Virginia and Kentucky, south to Florida and Texas.
Habitat: Sandy thickets and open soils[10]. Fields, roadsides, fence rows and thickets[11].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked in jellies, jams etc[8][3][12][9][13]183]. A sweet flavour[14], it is best when used as a jelly[15]. High in niacin[5]. Fairly large, the fruit is up to 5cm in diameter[6] though it contains relatively little edible pulp and a lot of seeds[K].
Leaves - raw or cooked. Said to be delicious as a cooked vegetable or when eaten in salads[16].
Flowers - cooked as a vegetable or made into syrup[16].
Medicinal: Maypops is a valuable sedative and tranquillising herb with a long history of use in North America[17]. It is frequently used in the treatment of insomnia, epilepsy, hysteria etc[17].
The leaves and stems are antispasmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, hypnotic, narcotic, sedative, vasodilator and are also used in the treatment of women's complaints[14][18][12][9][13][19][11][20][4]. The plant is harvested after some of the berries have matured and is then dried for later use[14]. It is used in the treatment of insomnia, nervous tension, irritability, neuralgia, irritable bowel syndrome, pre-menstrual tension and vaginal discharges[14][12][19][11][20]. An extract of the plant depresses the motor nerves of the spinal cord[21], it is also slightly sedative, slightly reduces blood pressure and increases respiratory rate[7]. The plant contains alkaloids and flavonoids that are an effective non-addictive sedative that does not cause drowsiness[4]. The plant is not recommended for use during pregnancy[4].
A poultice of the roots is applied to boils, cuts, earaches, inflammation etc[7].
The dried plant is exported from America to Europe for medicinal usage[20].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[14].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Studio Vista, 1979.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.