Virginia ecotype
- Duration: Perennial deciduous vine
- Habit: Climbing, sprawling, rhizomatous, naturalizing
- Size: 6–25 ft long vines; generally 3–8 ft spread across supports or ground; spreads rhizomatously
- Flowering Time: June, July, August, September
- Bloom Color: Lavender to purple with white filaments
- Habitat: Open fields, forest edges, roadsides, sunny thickets, and disturbed areas
- Moisture: Average to moist; well drained
- Light: Full sun to part sun
- Soils: Sandy, loamy, or clay; prefers well-drained soils
- Uses: trellises, fences, native plant gardens, pollinator support, erosion control, edible landscaping
- Note: this plant spreads via underground rhizomes and may not be suitable for small gardens.
Passiflora incarnata (Purple pasionflower)
Passiflora incarnata, commonly known as purple passionflower or maypop, is a striking native vine with distinctive, tropical flowers.
Passionflower is cold-hardy and robust, and spreads by underground rhizomes to form colonies in open fields and along woodland edges. Its nectar-rich blooms are highly attractive to a range of native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while the plant itself hosts several species of butterflies—notably the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia), and Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia).
The edible fruit is known as a maypop, that ripens in late summer and is consumed by wildlife and foraged by people. Sweet-tart and highly aromatic, fruits are often used for jams, jellies, and flavoring. Historically, the plant was used for its calming and sedative properties, and some modern herbalists still value it for its potential anxiolytic effects.
This species spreads underground through rhizomes, which makes it an excellent candidate for erosion control or naturalized areas—but also means it can overwhelm small or tightly packed gardens. Its vigorous climbing habit makes it well-suited to trellises, fences, and arbors, where it can create a living curtain of foliage and blossoms through the summer.