Passiflora

[mccallen]

I just moved into a new studio on one of the cool, misty hills in San Francisco. It happens to be a really great place to grow Tasconia passionflowers.

The garden has a lot of beautiful vines, but my favorite is the Passiflora parritae which I've only ever seen once elsewhere, in the Strybing Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park.

As far as I know, there was only one collection ever made from the wild. When they're open the flowers are very large and flat, when they're closed, the buds look like crazy squid-like balloons hanging from the trees.

Passiflora parritae

Passiflora luzmarina

Passiflora antioquiensis with a bee.

I've planted up 20 seeds from the Passiflora antioquiensis (the fruit was delicious) so maybe eventually I'll have some to share.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

WOW! I've seen many Passiflora, but none like these! Incredible! I'd love to get a hold of these...

 

[John M]

Absolutely spectacular! Thanks for posting these awesome photos!

 

[SlipperFan]

Neat. They remind me a little of passion flowers.

Oops -- I guess they are!

 

[mccallen]

I have many many seeds that I need to figure out something to do with
I'd be happy to engage in a seed for seed trade!

 

[paphioboy]

Very gorgeous blooms.. But I think they do better cool/intermediate. The only passiflora that does reasonably well in the lowlands is a blue one (P. caerulea I think)..

 

[mccallen]

There's also really beautiful red, white and pink Lapageria rosea and Clematis in the yard, very vine-heavy.

 

[nikv]

Very nice. Do you think any of these would do well in the East Bay?

 

[goldenrose]

:clap: FABULOUS!!! Never seen anything like 'em! :clap:
Thanks for posting/sharing!

 

[NYEric]

New side business! :wink:

 

[cdub]

Next to orchids, I think the Passiflora have the most interesting floral morphology. Every part of the anatomy seems to be so exaggerated!

 

[Elena]

Wow, these are gorgeous! The colour of Passiflora parritae really pops, I can see why it's a favourite.

Btw, can you share any tips especially for germinating the seeds? My OH really likes these plants and tried sowing some a few months ago but without much success.

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Lovely!
I grow Passiflora here in southern Ontario...but they have to come inside in the winter so it makes for lesser blooms in the summer I find.
Thanks for sharing!

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

Fantastic colors - I've never seen any of those species before. WOW! I grow the common Passion Flower, Passiflora caerulea, and have always thought it was exotic. But man, compared to the ones posted here, it kind of pales...

 

[mccallen]

Btw, can you share any tips especially for germinating the seeds? My OH really likes these plants and tried sowing some a few months ago but without much success.

If you're growing from stored, dry seeds I would recommend soaking them for 24 hours prior to planting. I just use water, but some people recommend soaking the seeds in actual passionfruit juice.

Use a light germination mix and place the seeds under about 1/8 inch of soil. Keep it nice and moist, but well ventilated and see what happens.

Tasconias don't really like to have their roots disturbed, so if you have a lot of seeds (one fruit can have more than 100) it makes sense to plant five in a four inch pot and then just cull the weaker ones that germinate.

Also, the rate of germination can be variable and some seeds will start growing much later than others. So patience is good.

These type also like much cooler temperatures than some other passionflowers. They will drop their flowers and by very sad if the temperature gets over 90 F.

 

[mccallen]

New side business! :wink:

Haha, yeah.

In a couple months I'll have a lot of antioquiensis plants that should be suitable size for shipping and I've recently pollinated a number ofparritae flowers and made a parritae x antioquiensis cross.

Soon I'm looking to try parritae x luzmarina and possibly some crosses with heat tolerant species.

 

[biothanasis]

The first is the most beautiful but all are great!!!!

 

[mccallen]

A couple new hybrids opened in the garden yesterday;

P. racemosa x P. actinia

P. 'Pura Vida' blue form.

 

[John M]

Wow, these are so beautiful too! I could REALLY get into Passifloras. I've got 'Incense' and quadrangularis already. This is a super cool family of plants!

 

[rdhed]

Two of my orchid friends just had their's open this past week. I think they look so much like feathers. Great photos...thanks for posting.

--Allen--