10/14/2026
Passiflora incarnata, aka Maypop Vine! This is a fascinating native plant.
💜💜💜
This perennial vine is native to SE U.S. It’s northern established border is Ohio, just miles south of Detroit. We were gifted some plants, and have been growing and testing it for the last 3 seasons.
🌸🌸🌸
The bloom has a very intricate architecture that is engineered for large Carpenter and bumble bees. They are attracted to the scent and to the concentric purple & white rings. The flower form forces a specific physical interaction with the bee, functioning almost like a key-in-lock mechanism.
💛💛💛
We often talk about specialist bees and how they are tied to a specific plant. In this case the passionflower is considered the specialist relying on a specific large, bodied bee for pollination. Many different bees and wasps visit for nectar. The flower’s structure allows small bees like honeybees to crawl under the reproductive organs an steal nectar, without pollinating.
💜💜💜
The reason such a tropical leaning plant can thrive in our climate is that their roots are extremely cold hardy. It spreads mainly by shallow sucker roots and occasionally by volunteers. It is the essential larval host plant for the Variegated Fritillary butterfly. The plant produces edible fruits that also contain seeds.
Look for Passion Flower Vine in our 2027 Native Plant Offerings!
