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Blue Passion Flower
Passiflora caerulea
Extremely fast growing, hardy passionflower producing egg shaped orange fruits with deep red, edible pulp, although not as tasty as the purple passion fruit. Flowers are ornate, multi-colored, with a minty scent much like the fruit of the pineapple guava.
Seed Availability
Seeds are now available at our seed store.
Description
Extremely fast growing vine that may grow up to 30ft a season.
Hardiness
This is one of the hardiest passion flowers, dying back in colder climates but hardy to 10F. It will regrow from roots the following year. In warmer climates without much frost, the vine will grow and bloom throughout the year.
Growing Environment
Likes lots of water, moist soil, and prefers a humid environment but will tolerate almost anything outside of desert conditions. Easy to grow in a container or the ground, but support must be provided.
Propagation
Almost always grown from seeds, but can be propagated by cuttings. Bottom heating the seeds at 70-80F can result in germination at 1-2 weeks, at lower temperatures seeds can take up to 10 weeks to germinate.
Germination Info
It is recommended to pretreat Passiflora seeds before planting. They contain a hard seed coat and are very slow to sprout. There are various pretreatment methods, but the simplest is to soak the seeds for 24-48 hours in warm to the touch water, just prior to planting. Optionally, seeds can be lightly scarified with sand paper to provide some permeation on the seed coat.
Once pretreated, plant seeds 1/2-1" deep in moist, sterile soil. Keep soil temperature consistent at 70-85F, with some day/variation in this range. Cool soils will significantly delay seed germination time if not inhibit germination altogether. Standard room temperature can be too cool for proper germination.
Estimated germination time under optimal conditions: Passiflora caerulea germination tends to be slow and erratic. 2-8 months.
Uses
Fruit is eaten fresh or used in drinks. A tea is sometimes made of the flower and is said to alleviate stress and anxiety.
Native Range
Wild range extends throughout Central and South America and as far north as the Southern United States. Has naturalized in many parts of the world.