Profile of the Maypop: Passionfruit for the Temperate Climate

Passionfruit was a happy discovery from European colonialists when they reached the Americas. The Latin genus, Passiflora, received its name through divine interpretation by a Portuguese priest who saw signs of the Passion of Christ in the plant. The flowers and leaves had several symbols that the priest relayed during a mass.

From there, other European and colonized countries ran with the imagery. It got called “Flower of Five Wounds,” “Christ’s thorn,” “Christ’s crown,” “Jesus’s passion,” and “passion flower”.

The most popular species, particularly for eating, is the Passiflora edulis, which is commonly recognized as purple passionfruit. There is also a P. edulis subspecies known as yellow passionfruit. Many of us are familiar with these varieties of passionfruit, the tropical treat, via drinking Hawaiian Fruit Punch, which is flavored to taste of passionfruit.

But, there are actually very similar plants that grow in temperate climates—from Pennsylvania down to Florida and on west to Texas—that produce similar fruits and beautiful flowers. Up here in the US, they are commonly called maypops.

Maypop, the Plant

Maypops, aka Passiflora incarnata, are very fast-growing and notoriously wide-spreading perennial vines. They can be found growing wild in the Southern United States, where they were once much more prominent and frequently seen along roadside fences. They love to be in full sun and thrive in disturbed areas. The vine can grow 20-25 feet in a year. They stay green in warmer climates, but they die back down to the ground each winter where it’s cold.

Maypop vines have leaves that have three distinct lobes and measure somewhere between three to six inches across. The flowers are an amazing display of white and purple with a complex structure of stamens, petals, and sepals. Those flowers usually appear in July and push into early autumn. They are beloved by bumblebees and carpenter bees. It is also the Tennessee state flower.

Maypop, the Fruit

Once pollinated, the flowers leave behind an egg-shaped and egg-sized (as in chicken egg) berry, somewhere in the yellow-to-green vicinity. The fruit is largely filled with air such that, when stepped on or squished, it is prone to pop, hence “may pop”. The rest of the fruit is filled with a large collection of seeds that are encased in aril (exterior covering around seeds) containing a gooey burst of juice.

The maypop, just like other Passiflora edulis, can be eaten raw. The berry needs to be opened, and the juice around the seeds is the candy. Some people like to suck the juice from around the seeds and spit the seeds out, but the seeds are also edible and can be consumed by the spoonful. It’s also common to strain the seeds out of the juice and make drinks, jelly, or desserts from the tangy juice. The flavor is sometimes compared to apricot.

Maypop, the Medicine

Maypop has historically been used as herbal medicine as well. Most popularly, the flowers are used as a mild sedative, a la chamomile, to help those with insomnia, other sleeping problems, and anxiety. In reality, the leaves, stems, and flowers can be used for this.

The Cherokee made use of the roots as well. They made a poultice out of the root to help with inflammation from minor wounds, such as thorn pricks. They also brewed a tea from the root to help with earaches, as well as with weaning babies.

Maypop, the Cultivation

Where maypops grow, they tend to do so voraciously. They don’t require great soil. They like full sun but can deal with partial sun, sacrificing some flowers and fruit as a result. It’s a good idea to provide them with an arbor or trellis or tree to climb; otherwise, they have the tendency to sprawl across the garden and completely take over.

Actually, when growing maypops, their ability to thrive is perhaps the biggest maintenance issue. They will send up fresh shoots from the roots, popping up from more places than where planted, and they are not shy about stretching into other’s spaces.

For those lucky enough to find wild maypop, it’s easy to take a root cutting from it and start a vine of your own. Otherwise, the plants are readily available at nurseries and easy to find online. This is a great plant for those living in USDA Zone 5-9. It’s a lovely ornamental with the bonus of being a medicinal plant and an edible plant. And, of course, it works wonderfully in vertical gardens.

Related Content:

• The Art of Eating Banana Blossoms
• Harvesting and Eating Squash Blossoms at Home
• Banana Blossoms: Health Benefits and How to Use
• 7 Wonderful Edible Flowers to Grow in Your Garden

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