[Warning, this will be a picture heavy post]
The young leaves can be kind of thin, but note the wrapping tendrils allowing it to climb. 
This is a flower bud before the flower opens. 
Sometimes Blue Passionflower leaves are more rounded. 
The new leaves can also be teardrop shaped. 
Here is an example of the lobed and teardrop shaped leaves on the same stem. 
More mature vines will have upwards of five or six-lobed leaves. 
The flower is what everyone loves, it's so pretty you almost forget this vine is invasive.
Common Name: Blue Passionflower
Other Common Names: Bluecrown Passionflower, Common Passionflower, Flower of the Five Wounds, Southern Beauty, Wild Apricot.
Botanical Family: Passifloraceae (The Passionflower Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Passiflora caerulea
Description & Habitat: Just for note, this perennial plant was once sold through Burpee seeds as an annual. It is most certainly not an annual in zone 8A/8B and can become problematic if not outright invasive in a garden setting. This species of Passionflower is native to South America. In our area you will find two species of Passion vine, the Purple Passionvine (Passiflora incarnata) and the Blue Passionvine (P. caerulea). In general both are aggressive vines that will climb up whatever is nearby be it blades of grass or your car that has sat in the yard for a bit. Typically you will find Blue Passion vine in gardens’ pastures, near rivers and in the woods and in all cases this is because it has escaped cultivation.
When & What to Harvest: The fruit are edible however most sources note they are a bit bland with a thin blackberry kind of flavor. The egg-shaped fruits are green when unripe and turn a yellow or deep orange color when ripe. The internal flesh of the fruit is a bright red color when ripe. The flowers of this plant are used to make passionflower tea which is noted to have health benefits. Do not eat the leaves or the unripe fruit as they contain cyanogenic glycosides which can convert to cyanide when eaten. The toxic part sof the plant are bitter tasting so avoid anything with that flavor.
Poisonous Lookalikes: none
Related Edible Species: Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata).
Recipe: There are a surprising number of options online for using the fruit but in general they fall into five categories; smoothies, fruit salads, jams/jellies/preserves, in baked goods or in cocktails. The most interesting one is to simply make juice out of it as that can help lower blood pressure. Firstly you get out as many of the seeds as possible, run it through a blender, and then strain out the chunks. Add a sweetener and as much water as you had strained juice and then store cold and drink as needed.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-caerulea/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_caerulea
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.
Fresh Foods:
Blueberries, Rabbiteye – 12 ounces
Blueberries, Rabbiteye – 8 ounces
Figs, Mixed* – 16 ounces
Figs, Mixed* – 8 ounces
Tomatoes, Cherry Blend – 12 ounces
*Figs will be a mix of what is currently ripe; they might be White Ischia, Chicago Hardy, Celeste, Magnolia, Kadota, Brown Turkey or Petit Nigra.
Soil Amendment Products (New!)
Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag
Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag
Garden Plants, Perennial
Cutleaf Coneflower
Spineless Prickly Pear
Spanish Bayonet
Garden Plants, Annual
Marigold, Naughty Marietta – Yellow
Marigold, Naughty Marietta – Orange
Madagascar Periwinkle, Blackberry
Madagascar Periwinkle, Cranberry
Zinnia, All American Mix
Coming Soon:
American Aloe
How to stay in Contact with Us!
Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (1): Little Brown Jugs
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is July 20th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
