Common Name: Maypops

General Information

Passiflora incarnata is an evergreen climbing plant with stems up to 6 metres long that scramble over the ground, climbing into the surrounding vegetation and attaching themselves by means of tendrils. In cooler parts of its range the plant will usually die back to ground level, resprouting in the spring[]. The plant can spread widely by means of root suckers and can cover large areas[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine, and is used as an ingredient in various commercial cosmetic preparations. It has been cultivated as a fruit crop in the past and is often grown as an ornamental[].
This species can spread over large areas in well-drained soil, primarily by suckers from deep, far-spreading roots, and has been considered a weed of croplands[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern and southern N. America - Kansas to New Jersey, south to Texas and Florida

Habitat

Fields, roadsides, fence rows and thickets[]. Open woodland, savannah, prairies, dunes, cultivated ground and disturbed areas, in clayey, loamy, or sandy, dry to mesic, and often poor soil; at elevations to 1,000 metres, usually below 400 metres[]

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Climber
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Passiflora ncarnata is probably the most cold-tolerant species in the genus and is known to survive temperatures down to about -20°c when growing in a well-drained soil. Top growth is more sensitive and is generally killed back to ground level in cold winters, though the plant generally puts out new shoots in the spring.[, ]. The top growth of cultivated plants is often cut back almost to the ground at the end of the growing season each year by some people in order to encourage fresh, vigorous new growth in the spring, and the plant is thus treated as a herbaceous perennial[]
Requires a well-drained soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season, otherwise it is not fussy[]. Another report says that it prefers a well-drained sandy slightly acid soil in full sun[].
The roots should be mulched in winter to prevent them from freezing. Plants thrive in a short growing season[].
Plants can vary considerably in the quality of their fruit, with some forms considered to have commercial potential[]. The plant is cultivated for its edible fruit by some native North Americans[, , ].
Plants yield from 5 to 20 fruits annually in the wild[].
A climbing plant, supporting itself by means of tendrils[].
Resistant to pests and diseases[]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].
Outdoor grown plants should have their roots restricted in order to encourage fruit production instead of excessive vegetative growth[]. Hand pollinate using pollen from a flower that has been open for 12 hours to pollinate a newly opened flower before midday[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked in jellies, jams etc[, , , , ]183]. A sweet flavour[], it is best when used as a jelly[]. High in niacin[]. Fairly large, the fruit is up to 5cm in diameter[] though it contains relatively little edible pulp and a lot of seeds[].

Leaves - raw or cooked. Said to be delicious as a cooked vegetable or when eaten in salads[].

Flowers - cooked as a vegetable or made into syrup[].

Medicinal

Maypops is a valuable sedative and tranquillising herb with a long history of use in North America[]. It is frequently used in the treatment of insomnia, epilepsy, hysteria etc[].

The leaves and stems are antispasmodic, astringent, diaphoretic, hypnotic, narcotic, sedative, vasodilator and are also used in the treatment of women's complaints[, , , , , , , , ]. The plant is harvested after some of the berries have matured and is then dried for later use[]. It is used in the treatment of insomnia, nervous tension, irritability, neuralgia, irritable bowel syndrome, pre-menstrual tension and vaginal discharges[, , , , ]. An extract of the plant depresses the motor nerves of the spinal cord[], it is also slightly sedative, slightly reduces blood pressure and increases respiratory rate[]. The plant contains alkaloids and flavonoids that are an effective non-addictive sedative that does not cause drowsiness[]. The plant is not recommended for use during pregnancy[].

A poultice of the roots is applied to boils, cuts, earaches, inflammation etc[].

The dried plant is exported from America to Europe for medicinal usage[].

A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[].

Other Uses

An extract of the whole is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an astringent[].
An extract of the flowers and an extract of the fruit are both used as ingredients in commercial cosmetic preparations as skin conditioners and protectors[].
The oil extracted from the seed is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin protector[].
A powder obtained from the dried, ground-up seeds is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an abrasive and skin conditioner[].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow late winter or early spring in a warm greenhouse. If sown in January and grown on fast it can flower and fruit in its first year[]. The seed germinates in 1 - 12 months at 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. It you are intending to grow the plants outdoors, it is probably best to keep them in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Mulch the roots well in late autumn to protect them from the cold.
Cuttings of young shoots, 15cm with a heel, in spring[].
Leaf bud cuttings in spring.
Cuttings of fully mature wood in early summer. Takes 3 months. High percentage[].