From the passion-flower at the gate
(Tennyson, "Maud")
The Legend
In 1620 a Jesuit priest in Peru came across the plant we now know as passion flower. Enthralled with its beauty, that night he had a vision likening its floral parts to the elements of the Crucifixion or Passion of Christ. The five petals and five sepals became the ten apostles (omitting Peter and Judas). The three pistils became the nails of the cross; the purple corona (or filaments) was the crown of thorns, and the stemmed ovary was the Lord's goblet. Later, Jesuit preists would use the flowers to explain the story of Christ to would-be converts.
The Facts
There are about 400 species of Passiflora. Many are grown ornamentally, and several are grown for their edible passionfruits, grenadillas or water lemons. In cultivation for their fruit, they are grown on arbor supports much like grapes (PHOTO of cultivation). The arillate pulp covering the seeds is the part eaten or used for flavouring drinks in the form of grenadine syrup. This pulp has a fascinating wispy-soft texture, much like a cloud formed inside a thin skin, or cotton candy without the stickiness. They are an acquired taste.
The flower structure has been compared to U.F.O. design, a carnival float, and a crucifixion. Each flower lasts only one day. They are bi-sexual, having both male and female parts on each flower.
As a vine, passionflowers make their own way with the use of strong tendrils. These grab onto anything within reach, and can wind around a stem or string strongly within five minutes of contact.
Growing Passionflowers Indoors
Indoors, passionflowers benefit from humidity, high light, and cool temperatures in the evening and at night. They can be rampant growers in the right situation, so it is a good idea to plan ahead and provide them with a lattice or framework to drape over. One indoor gardener I know grows them on a framework of lath strips suspended two inches away from a bright wall in her kitchen. Main stems are trained along this wood each spring, and all the shoots and tendrils are cut back to this frame each fall. The vines form a curtain effect down the wall that is stunning and quite unique.
Unless you have a very bright wall like my friend, you will probably find that you need to grow them around a windowframe for maximum light. The more light they get, the healthier they will be, and the more they will flower.
