Life Cycle of an Incense Passion Flower Vine
The incense passion flower vine (passiflora incarnata x cinnicata) is a climbing vine producing abundant, sweet-scented, lavender-purple flowers at maturity. The incense passion flower vine produces edible, egg-shaped seeded fruit. A perennial plant, incense passiflora climbs using axillary tendrils or sprawls along the ground. The vine can reach up to 25 feet in one growing season. The hardiest of all passion flowers, it has a fleshy root system that sustains it through cold winters. The incense passion flower life cycle is a productive one, reseeding and regrowing year after year. Does this Spark an idea?
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Seed Stage
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Incense passiflora seeds can be collected or purchased. Usually collected in the fall after the fruit has fallen to the ground, mature passion flower seeds are brown and covered with a gelatinous coating. Once the coating has been washed off, the seeds are dried and stored. The seeds are then planted the following spring in light soil, in a separate outside seedbed, where they can be taken care of easily.
Germination Stage
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Germination is triggered by a combination of moisture, temperature and soil conditions and may take up to a year to occur. Incense passiflora seeds may germinate late in the summer or may sit dormant until the following spring. Once the seedlings have three or four leaves, they are ready for transplanting.
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Growth Stage
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Growing incense passiflora vines requires a sunny location and moist soil. As the stems grow upward, the passion flower pushes roots down into the soil. This growth process continues as the plant draws moisture and nutrients from the soil, until it reaches maturity and is ready to produce flowers.
Reproduction
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At maturity, the passion flower vine begins to produce flower buds. The buds develop into flowers. Incense passiflora vines bloom from spring to fall. Pollination, achieved two to three months after flowering by wind, insects, bats or hummingbirds, leads to fruit development. The oval-shaped, sweet-smelling yellow fruit can range from 1 to 3 inches long. The fruit contains many dark-colored seeds covered with a gelatinous pulp---the edible portion of the passion fruit. Once ripe, the fruit usually drops to the ground.
Life Cycle Conclusion
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The incense passiflora vine thrives until the first frost, at which point it dies back to the ground each year. Incense passiflora can live for three or more years, growing, flowering and fruiting. The following spring, the passion flower vine will grow from seed or from the parent root; new stems will emerge to begin the cycle all over again.
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References
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- Photo Credit Passion Flower image by Boster from Fotolia.com
