Maypop Passionfruit Improvement Project
Maypop passionfruit (Passiflora incarnata) is a wonderful native plant, commonly found in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. Unlike most of its tropical cousins, its vines die back (senesce) to the ground every winter. It is most noted for its beautiful and beautifully scented flowers, and for its delicious fruit, but it is also commonly used as an ingredient in herbal tea or as an herbal supplement. It is widely believed effective as a medicine against anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Few people know that its leaves are also edible, and have a pleasant enough taste and texture for use in salads or cooked.
This project aims to identify and/or develop unique clones of maypop exceptionally suited for any of the uses listed above. Through a broad-based collaboration with growers, breeders, and herbalists, we seek to find maypops that are particularly productive of large, tasty, early-ripening fruit, or particularly tasty, tender leaves, or particularly potent herbal medicine. There's already a great diversity of maypops in existence, but very few named varieties/clones are available. This project will try to change that.
Volunteers will be asked to grow maypops from seed in search of new and interesting individual plants. Roots or shoots from plants of interest will ultimately be brought together for side-by-side comparison and possibly future breeding.
08318
United States
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Project Updates
How are people doing?
There hasn't been a post in here in awhile. How are folks doing?
Here are some pictures of my maypops. I am growing in Durham NC.
I collected seed from some fairly tasty maypops in fall of 2021. Started to get some germination in spring of 2023. Planted 4-5 second-year plants in this pot this spring. They are growing well!
Looking forward to trying the fruit and saving seed from the best!
re: Maypops in 2023!
Hi @julia — I'm not sure about seedlings, but my maypops (planted from seeds purchased here) don't come up until a bit late in the season. I want to say late May/June but can't quite remember. But it's well after everything else in the garden gets going so I'd say it's possible your seeds may still come up!
Maypops in 2023!
Hello all!
I hope y'all are doing well. I just wanted to check in and see if anybody is starting new plants this year or has guidance for how to do so; I'm in zone 6 and found maypops in the wild last year and fell in love, planted some of the seeds outdoor to cold stratify, and it looks like they didn't germinate. How have you had the most success starting maypops? Does anybody have seed available, or should I wait until fall to collect them?
Maypop Central Europe
Hi everybody, i grow maypop in Czechia in Central Europe. My climate zone is about 7a but sometimes the winter here is wet, so its not easy for the plants. In 2019 i planted about 90 seeds bought on ebay (from Germany, Hungary, UK), now i have selection of about 15 plants, best growing and adapted. I dont get seeds from them yet, but last year i had several flowers. Next year p.e. i would like to try more seeds from the most hardy plants possible (whith large and tasty fruits, of course :) i hope i get some recommendation here. Thank you! Martin
Passionflower Seeds (NE Kansas - Zone 6a)
Hi everyone,
I previously commented about our passionflower patch in our backyard in Northeast Kansas. I have lots of seed pods that have been sitting outside. If anyone would like some, please let me know. I can't guarantee how well they'll germinate as they've been sitting out and have gone through lots of temperature swings, but maybe it'll help break dormancy? Anyways, feel free to contact me if you would like any. You don't have to pay for the seeds, but would appreciate it regardless as it does take time out from my own farm. Shipping costs will have to be covered by you though. I can't afford to send them out for free. My email is below for reaching out:
Seeds
Hello,
I would also love to be able to assist but, seeds are sold out. I can purchase and provide shipping.
Thanks,
Christen
Grower in NJ looking for seeds
Hi I would love to join in on this project but the seeds on EFN's site are sold out. Can anyone help me get some seeds? I can pay for shipping. Send me an email to R.pembroke856@gmail.com if you can help, since we can't seem to be able to message other people on this. Thanks!
Robust Passiflora incarnata patch - Zone 6a (Northeast Kansas)
In our backyard we have a maypop patch that has been going strong for about 9 years. This was transplanted from another home in town, where it was also thriving. They got their original plants from a wild cutting in Florida (I believe). It is a prolific grower, we harvest large bundles of the leaves for tea quite regularly and it doesn't seem to phase the plant at all. Additionally, we don't provide any cover for the plant or take care of it in any way. So it's handled polar vortex weather (-10F) up to NE Kansas summers, easily into the upper 90s & 100s. Been flooded out for a week and handled 3 week long droughts perfectly fine.
So if anyone is interested in getting seeds, or if there's anyway I can help out with this project. Please let me know! I can try to document the growth a bit more this year.
So excited to find this website and group!
I collected some maypop seeds from a particularly tasty fruit in late fall and have just planted them. I am in zone 7b/8a. I will definitely upload info as it comes!
Seeds wanted - maypop passionfruit
I am interested in experiment this plant in my area. I am in North Central Texas, Zone 7. I am happy to pay for shipping. Thanks.
Passiflora incarnata flowering in Montreal, QC
This is my first flower, it smelled and looked great, unfortunately it was promply eaten by a squirrel. Fortunately there are still plenty of buds to come, so I'll try to protect them somehow.
The vine is about a meter high, growing on a trellis, it just started sending another shoot from the base. I planted 5 seeds in march with no special treatment, I got 4 plants out of them. They are all still alive, but one has barely grown (it got completely shaded by some kale) and two others are growing in a friends garden and I've yet to see them. Though I've been told they are not flowering yet.
The plant this flower is from is growing in full sun on a terrace in Montréal Quebec (between zone 5 and 6) in a 1 cubic foot large container which it shares with a cucumber and some dill. It took a while to get going but in july it's height almost tripled.
My first Flower
This is my first incarnata flower. I pollinated it with caerulea. There was also a fruit, which unfortunately did not ripen completely. But the seeds were intact.
Next year there will hopefully be other clones so that I can cross pure incarnatas.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jBzw4R][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/5028…]
probably the furthest north here....
Hey yall I'm in Bangor Maine, its a zone 5 here, still in an apartment so I cant try all that I want to with this guy but I do germinate a passionflower incense variety which is from maypop. Once I get some land and am able to amend my soils properly I have some ideas to allow for a deeper root system and hopefully assist in making these more cold hardy through further generations.
Would love to hear any updates from zone 6 participants!
Maypop thicket
Maypop
I have access to some maypops that are on their 3rd season from north Alabama. Are the seeds for purchase from the EFN from this project? They are currently out of stock.
Maypop Seeds
I'm just joining this project in planning for the spring gardens but I don't see any seeds available. Do you anticipate having them available in the next season? I'm already growing Passiflora incarnata (PA native).
Germination troubleshoot
Hey plant friends, I've been trying to germinate passionflower seed for the first time this season and have not been very successful. I will explain things I've tried and maybe someone who has been successful can help me update my formula/share some tips. I am very excited to get to know this plant just can't seem to get it to germinate. I first tried passionfloria caerulea on 3/15 planting 9 in 4 in pots after soaking for 24 hr in water..after a month no sprouts. I then planted passionflora incarnata. I got these seeds from strictly medicinal seeds. I planted 14 seeds(4/15), some in 4 in pots and some in a smaller 6 pack. I had one thing sprout in the 6 pack but doesn't seem to be passionfloria incarnata. The leaves are single lobed and I'm unsure if it is a vine or not. I'm not sure if a weed seed fell into my start packs or what. It is not a weed I recognize. I am letting it grow out of curiosity. I then am on my third run of tries. This time I am trying many different methods. Starting 5/21, I soaked some seeds for 24 hrs, 48 hrs and one week and now planted out in 4in pots. No sprouts..yet. I am waiting for some more seeds from EFN for this project and would be curious how others would go about germination or any advice. I have a greenhouse these starts are in and I'm in Olympia wa zone 8! Thank you!
Passiflora iridescence?
Besides Passiflora iridescence I'm growing Passiflora iridescence for a first season. I saw somewhere that this hybrid has incarnata in its heritage. According to https://www.brushwoodnursery.com/collections/passiflora/products/passif… it's hardy down to zone 7 (my zone) and was bred by Hal Love.