The Red Passion Flower is a popular garden accent.

The Red Passion Flower (Passiflora coccinea) is an evergreen, fast growing, flowering vine from South America that climbs by tendrils. It belongs to the Passifloraceae plant family, and all of its member species are climbing vines. It has spectacular scarlet to deep orange flowers, each with a width of three to five inches. Each unique flower lasts about one day appearing during summer until the rainy season.

Since it is a fast grower, it aggressively spreads throughout the structure it climbs on. This plant, however, can be trained and pruned. For the potted ornamental plant business, the vine can be trained small with a bamboo trellis mounted on a 10 to 12-inch pot.

Its leaves are evergreen, which are obviating in shape and have doubly serrated margins. The edible and attractive fruits of the Red Passion Flower are ovoid, orange or yellow in color, and are mottled green. They are about 2.5 to three inches in diameter.

These are very attractive plants and can be used as accents along walls or in a trellis. They are usually trained to cascade down a wall or climb a trellis. They are also used to attract butterflies and hummingbirds in botanical gardens.

Cultural Requirements

Light. The plant will need a lot of sunlight to flower profusely.

Watering. The potting medium must be occasionally wet though it can moderately tolerate draughts. What it won’t tolerate are soils with high salt content. If planted along rows, it is recommended that they be spaced 36 to 60 inches apart.

Potting Medium. The plant requires fertile, humus-rich, and acidic to slightly alkaline soil. It may thrive either in sandy, loamy or clay soils.

Fertilization. Though the plant can grow on any soil type, it is recommended to use soil rich in organic matter. Fertilize the plants for vigorous growth twice or thrice each year. Fertilization maybe applied before and after the rainy season, using complete 14-14-14 fertilizers.

Pest and Diseases.  The plant is seldom affected by pests though nematodes can be a serious problem. This can be controlled by Furadan insecticide sprays if severe infestation occurs. Caterpillars on the other hand, can slow down growth. These can be controlled by insecticide sprays.

Special Cultural Requirements 

As the plant is a vine, it should be supported on a fence, trellis or arbor. Regular pruning is required, especially when the plant grows out of the ideal area, and may escape cultivation, spreading to surrounding landscapes.

Propagation. The Red Passion Flower can be propagated by seeds or by cuttings. Seeds can be collected from its edible fruit and can be sown in seedling boxes with sterile fertile soil composed of equal amounts of soil, coconut coir dust and compost. Once the seeds germinate, seedlings can be directly transplanted on areas where the plant will be grown to maturity or planted in 10-12 inch pots.

For stem cuttings, six to eight -inch stem segments, usually with three nodes, can be cut and planted on moist soil. The stem cutting technique can be done in a semi-shaded nursery. When the plant is established, the seedlings can be placed in brighter light for the vine to grow vigorously. Usually, three bamboo stakes, three feet high with three circular wires, are fitted on the pot for the plant to climb on.