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Purple Passionflower

Passiflora incarnata

Other common name(s):

Purple Passion Vine, Maypop

Family:

Passifloraceae (Passion Flower Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

East Central Texas Plains, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Vine

Height

10
to
25
ft.

Spread

1
to
5
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Well Drained, Moist, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low, Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Purple

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds

Maintenance

Can grow quickly. Spreads by root suckers. Give lots of room or prune and pull sprouts to direct and control growth in smaller spaces. Be careful when cutting as birds enjoy this vine for secret nesting habitat. Propagation: Seed, Cuttings.

Comments

Blooms March-November. Climbs with wrapping tendrils, support with chain link fence or trellis or use as groundcover. Large 3-lobed leaves, dark-green above and whitish below. Large showy, purple pinwheel flowers. The name Maypop comes from the hollow, yellow fruits that pop loudly when crushed. Moderate deer resistance, butterfly nectar source. Larval Host: Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Crimson-patch longwing, Red-banded hairstreak, Julia butterfly, Mexican butterfly.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48, 53. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 358. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PAIN6. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Passiflora+incarnata&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=16725&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=504139#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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