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Passiflora incarnata (Purple Passionflower, Maypop)

Passiflora incarnata (Maypops) climbs by tendrils.
Passiflora incarnata flower with Ailanthus web worm in August.
Passiflora incarnata flowers and buds in August
Passiflora incarnata flower in August.
A bumble bee pollinating a Passiflora incarnata flower.
Passiflora incarnata vine in August.
Passiflora incarnate flower detail
Passiflora incarnata fruit in August.

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Passiflora incarnata Tried and True Native Plant Selections Purple Passionflower, Maypop for the Mid-Atlantic Found naturally* along roadsides, pastures, and open woods, the exotic flowers and edible fruit of Purple Passionflower make this unique vine a striking ornamental plant for the garden. The common name, Maypop, refers to the fruit, which makes a loud popping sound when stomped on. Vine Flower Close-up, Flowering Vine, Fruit Height: 6–8 feet Spread: 3–6 feet Bloom color: Lavender, white (rarely) Characteristics Rapid-growing, tendril-climbing, deciduous vine Alternate, deeply 3-lobed, round-toothed, leaves; early deciduous stipules; > 4” tendrils at leaf axils Usually fragrant, 3-inch flowers with 5 petals and 5 petaloid sepals crowned with wavy filaments and showy center column of 5 stamens and gynoecium with 3 styles/stigmas; bloom May to October Pulpy, edible, ellipsoid or ovoid fruits (berries), ripen to yellow-green for harvest mid-summer into fall Spreads rapidly by root suckers Attributes Tolerates clay soil and drought; no serious pests or diseases; moderate deer resistance Ethnobotanic uses; fruit eaten fresh or cooked Attracts butterflies and bees to its flowers; wild turkeys eat young tendrils; larval host to ~5 lepidopterans incl. Gulf and Variegated Fritillary Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Average, well-drained Akebia quinata - Chocolate Vine Light Requirements: Sun Ampelopsis brevipedunculata - Porcelainberry Water Requirements: Moist Celastrus orbiculatus - Oriental Bittersweet Remove suckers on regular basis to control spread Clematis terniflora - Sweet Autumn Clematis Cover roots lightly with mulch Lonicera japonica - Japanese Honeysuckle Use on arbors, fences, posts, and walls or on slopes for erosion control *It is native in DC, in MD’s Coastal Plain and southern Piedmont, and in PA, though no county data is available. It is non- indigenous in DE. In VA, it is common in the south and central Coastal Plain, frequent in the south and central Piedmont, and rare elsewhere. It is native to NoVA, except for Loudoun County. Hardiness: USDA Zones 5a–9b developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Alyssa Ford Morel, Elaine Mills, and Jane Longan, private gardens, Arlington, VA

Tried and True Native Plant Selections 
for the Mid-Atlantic

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Passiflora incarnata (Purple Passionflower, Maypop)

Found naturally* along roadsides, pastures, and open woods, the exotic flowers and edible fruit of Purple Passionflower make this unique vine a striking ornamental plant for the garden. The common name, Maypop, refers to the fruit, which makes a loud popping sound when stomped on.

*It is native in DC, in MD’s Coastal Plain and southern Piedmont, and in PA, though no county data is available. It is non-indigenous in DE. In VA, it is common in the south and central Coastal Plain, frequent in the south and central Piedmont, and rare elsewhere. It is native to NoVA, except for Loudoun County. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets