Passiflora membranacea
| Passiflora membranacea | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 16' |
| Width: | 16' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Passiflora membranacea (common name: passion flower)
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][4]. Dislikes highly alkaline soils[5].
Plants are tolerant of temperatures that occasionally go down to about -5°c for short periods and so can possibly be grown outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. The top growth will be killed by the cold, but so long as the root is well mulched and is in a very well-drained soil, it should grow back in the spring[6].
Roots of outdoor grown plants should be restricted to encourage fruiting[2]. 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[1][4]. The flowers open in sunny weather and do not open on dull cloudy days[7].
Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back to ground level if required to rejuvenate the plant[5]. Any pruning is best carried out in the spring[7].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4].
Range: C. America - Southern Mexico to Panama and Costa Rica.
Habitat: High forest regions at altitudes up to 3,000 metres[6].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[6]. Sweet and well-flavoured, the fruit is 40 - 90mm long and 30 - 40mm wide[6].
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 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.
- ↑ Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Davis, Brian. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Vanderplank, John. Passion Flowers. Cassell London, 1991.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.