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jkrup44

Passiflora ID please

jkrup44
14 years ago

Hello,

I am so excited to add my 5th type of Passiflora to my collection! I purchased this from a small local nursery, but unfortunately it was just labeled as passion vine. I tried to ask the lady there which type it was, but I only got a strange look from her as she replied "it's the purple kind". If anyone could ID this I would really appreciate it. I thought I would find the answer easily by researching the internet, but I haven't had any luck yet. Thanks.

Josh


Comments (5)

  • jblaschke
    14 years ago

    Incense.

  • karyn1
    14 years ago

    That's one of my favorites. You might want to be careful if it's inground because it will take over your yard. It will send suckers up quite a distance from the original plant.

  • eristal
    14 years ago

    I concur with your appraisal. That's Passiflora 'Incense'. I love this one as well. Mine is about 40 feet long on a chain link fence and has 50 - 60 flowers open per day in the hot months.

    Enjoy your new addition!

    Eric

  • jkrup44
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the ID and I really appreciate the caution about it's growth. Just curious Eric, how long did it take for your 'Incense' to get to that size? By the way, the flowers smell amazing! I have really fallen in love with Passies and this is one of the most beautiful types I have seen yet. I can't wait to add the next one to my collection. Thanks again!
    Josh

  • eristal
    14 years ago

    Ahhhh... Passies. They are easy to fall in love with.

    The first plant Crystal and I ever purchased together was a few months after we bought our first house. It was a Passiflora caerulea from Long's drugs, (Crystal says it was Rite Aid... whatever), in a small pot growing on a loop. We still have it and now it has a trunk about the thickness of the thickest part of a baseball bat. It has no diseases, no pests, no problems... and blooms massively with little to no attention, fertilizer, or even much water, (not that I suggest withholding water, fertilizer, or attention). We have been hooked on Passifloras ever since, and now have many in our collection.

    The P. 'Incense' was probably purchased and planted about... 8 years ago. However, it has been a massive specimen many years prior to that. Crystal thinks it was only about 2 years after planting the one gallon plant that has performed almost as well as it does now. I think it may have been a little longer, but I'm not going to argue too much...

    My best advise would be "full sun". I have never seen a P. 'Incense' leaf wilt... ever. We get pretty darn hot and dry here, and most things will wilt, but not this one... at least in my experience.

    One interesting quick story about P. 'Incense' and it's suckering ability: On one side of our house between us and our neighbor's, there is a chain link fence. On either side of the fence, all the way to each house is sold concrete walkway. I decided many years ago to chip away 10-12 inch wide holes in between each metal post to plant Passifloras and other vines, (though Passifloras are the only ones there now.) One day, my next door neighbor came to me to show me something interesting in her garage. She knows we like plants, and thought it may interest us. (Can you see where this is going?) About 8 feet high, grapling to her water heater, coming through a crack in her garage floor, was indeed a Passiflora 'Incense'. It wasn't blooming, but the leaves are pretty unmistakable. I apologized, and went to pull it up, but she wanted to keep it, saying "I'm excited! I can never keep houseplants alive!" Just to let you know, her water heater is about 30 feet from where it is planted. This sucker can sucker!

    One thing that I would add in advice is to clean your clippers with rubbing alcohol after clipping back your 'Incense' before you touch any other plant. It carries a virus which does not really harm the plant, but makes for some yellow mottling of the leaves. It is kind of ugly and supposedly can be passed on to other plants. I have not had it happen yet, (crossing fingers), and other people may have more info on it than I, but everything you read says that it will.

    Anyway, enjoy your Passiflora and keep coming here and posting. I just joined last month when my first successful hybrid bloomed, and so far it seems like a great group of folks. Welcome...

    Happy Gardening!
    Eric