A friend collected a roadside passionflower a few years ago near the northern state line of Maryland, probably along Route 15. For several years he’s kept the plant going strong enough to take cuttings each Spring. I was a lucky recipient of one cutting that accepted RootTone’s magic and it started growing very well.
Palmate leaves of the passion-flower alternate along a vine-like stem with two small half-moon shaped leaves clasping the main stem. The palmate leaf fingers are skinny.
At the leaf and main stem junctions tendrils coil out to anchor the plant to anything within reach. It would be important to trellis this plant to keep it growing where you want it to stay.
I did not expect it to bloom the first year, but there are half a dozen blossoms already in development. Flowers rise up from the leaf axils, one blossom per leaf.
I’ll get more pics when the blooms are out. Stay tuned!
Two weeks ago I planted a 3 ft passion vine in my butterfly garden in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and have noticed small green bumps (eggs?) seemingly growing under the skin of the sepals of some of the flower buds. I have Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwings in my yard which have both showed lots of interest in the passion vine and someone has laid eggs, but their eggs are yellowish. Do you know what these little green bumps are?
Hi Bonnie,
If the green bumps seem to be part of the sepal itself, it may be a leaf miner assuming there are “trails” leading up to the bumps. If you don’t see the trails, then another insect is probably to blame. To be sure of what the pest is, take a few samples to your nearest Agriculture Cooperative Extension office. The plant or entomology people there would be able to tell you a lot about the Floridian inhabitants that you may be seeing. It’s been my experience that these folks are extremely helpful. For Florida, check out UF/IFAS Solutions for the Extension office in your area.
Oh, the yellow eggs? They could be from a lady beetle or your Zebra Longwings, so watch them develop to find out, or check out this butterfly site.
Good luck!
Hi … Do you happen to know the species name of this Passion Vine? A friend recently gave me a rooted Passiflora that looks very similar to your photos with the narrow palmate leaf “fingers.” She didn’t know its common name or its scientific name, so I’ve been trying to track it down. She was told by the person who gave the original plant to her that it’s a native species in the United States. Not sure if this species is the same as yours though because it has 7 “fingers” on the palmate leaves, while yours have 5. And this one hasn’t flowered yet, so don’t know the flower color. Curious as to what color blooms yours have. Anyway, so far your photos look more like the vine I have than any other photos I’ve found online. Thanks for your post. 🙂
Hi Karen!
I’ll have to look for my other pics to share with you. This plant had purple-laced flowers but I wouldn’t know the species. I didn’t protect it from winter and it died.
Very interesting plant indeed.
Good luck with yours!