A North American species that grows to a bit more compact than other passifloras, making it an easier variety to keep under control. This is a very herbaceous vine and dies back every Winter, only to pop back in May, hence the name Maypop ( though I think the names comes from stepping on the fruit and the pop it makes ).
It climbs by means of clinging tendrils and can be kept as an container plant. The long tendrils need lots of support for climbing. It may be grown as a houseplant in a sunny South-facing window. It has large scented flowers, from June to November, with pale lavender petals and purple filaments which are kinked at the tip. These are followed by sweet edible fruits which are yellow when ripe. The leaves are tri-lobed and 15 cm large. Pruning is a must to keep the vine healthy. Prune off less vigorous growth and occasionally prune back vigorous growth to promote flowering.
When established, and without care, the passion fruit can easily overtake other garden plants, shading them from sun. One of the easiest Passiflora to grow and has the best cold hardiness. Keep the atmosphere humid through the Summer and place in full sun, can tolerate partial shade. You may need to water your plants on a daily basis during the hottest Summer months. During the Winter the roots should be kept moist, but as growth will be much slower you will probably only need to water once a week, depending on growing temperature. It will do best in a loam based mix with a little peat moss.
Fertilize at least once every two weeks in the growing season.
If their pot is too large or if they have an unrestricted root run then the whole plant will simply get bigger and bigger but it will refuse to flower and therefore produce the fruits. By limiting the pot size you are limiting the ability to grow and this is seen as a threat, so the natural mechanism is to produce seed for the next generation. A suitably sized pot for an adult plant would generally be of 12 inches in diameter.
Hardiness zone 8-11.