Woodland Passionflower

morifolia: with leaves like a Mulberry (Morus sp., Moraceae).

Herbaceous perennial climber, cultivated in gardens but doubtful as an escape (see under Status). Stems grooved, slightly 4-angled, velvety when young; axillary tendrils presents. Leaves alternate, 3-lobed with ovate-triangular, pointed lobes, deeply cordate at the base, thinly textured, somewhat roughly hairy on both surfaces; margin toothed or subentire; petiole up to 6 cm long, flattened, conspicuous glands at the apex; stipules ovate, c. 6 × 3 mm. Flowers solitary, axillary, 2-3 cm in diameter. Sepals, white mottled with red inside. Petals, white. Corona with a single row of filaments, 5-6 mm. long, white with blue or violet bands. Fruit spherical, 2 cm. in diameter, blue-green, roughly hairy.

Native of South America and cultivated in some warm countries. Naturalized in Malaysia, Java and several Pacific Islands.

Passiflora morifolia, the blue sweet calabash or woodland passionflower, is a white and purple flowered passion flower with blue or purple fruit. The very fast-growing vine that can grow a few dozen feet in a season. Flowers are ornate, white, blue and purple fruits follow, which ripen to blue or purple. The orange pulp might be edible. The hardiness of P. morifolia is to at least 32 °F, some sources claim as low as 15-20 °F. It grows well in full sun or filtered sun. The vine is fast growing and once established it is quite vigorous. Its propagation is by seed or by cuttings. It is grown as an ornamental. It is not cultivated for its fruit. It is native to the parts of Central and South America.