The Purple Passion Flower, scientifically known as Passiflora incarnata, is a vigorous, tendril-climbing vine native to the southeastern and central United States. This plant is well-known for its intricate, lavender flowers. The answer to whether this striking plant produces fruit is a definitive yes. This hardy, perennial vine is a reliable source of fruit in temperate regions.
The Appearance and Naming of the Fruit
The fruit of the Purple Passion Flower is most commonly known as the “Maypop.” This moniker may derive from the popping sound the fruit makes when stepped on, or the plant’s tendency to “pop” out of the ground in May after a dormant winter. Other traditional names include wild apricot or apricot vine, which hint at the fruit’s size and shape.
The Maypop fruit develops into an oval or egg-shaped berry, typically measuring between one and three inches in length. Initially, the fruit appears light green and firm as it grows on the vine throughout the summer months. As it matures, it changes color, progressing to a pale yellowish-green or yellow-orange hue when fully ripe, usually between July and October.
The mature fruit has a soft, spongy flesh surrounding a gelatinous interior pulp. Within this pulp are numerous small, dark seeds. The edible portion is the aril, the juice-filled sac surrounding each seed, which holds a sweet, aromatic liquid. A fully ripe Maypop may detach from the vine and be found on the ground beneath the foliage.
Safety and Culinary Uses
The ripe Maypop fruit is safe for human consumption and is considered a pleasant wild edible. Its flavor profile is tartly-sweet, musky, and distinctly tropical, similar to its commercially grown passion fruit relatives. The pulp surrounding the seeds can be consumed fresh, although the seeds are numerous and often discarded or used in processed forms.
The fruit is utilized in culinary applications where its unique flavor can be highlighted. Traditional and modern uses include making jams, jellies, and beverages. The juice can be strained and used to create sorbets or to flavor various drinks.
While the ripe fruit is edible, other parts of the Passiflora incarnata vine are not intended for consumption. The leaves and roots, which contain various alkaloids and flavonoids, are used in herbal medicine for their sedative properties. These parts of the plant are not recommended for use as a food item and can be toxic in high concentrations.
How the Flower Becomes Fruit
The transformation from the intricate purple flower to the Maypop fruit involves successful pollination and fertilization. The Passiflora incarnata flower possesses a unique structure that promotes cross-pollination. Its reproductive parts—the anthers (male) and stigmas (female)—are positioned to make self-pollination difficult, as the plant is generally self-incompatible, meaning it requires pollen from a different, genetically distinct plant to produce fruit.
The sticky, heavy nature of the pollen means that wind is an ineffective method of transfer. Therefore, large-bodied insects, such as carpenter bees and bumblebees, are the primary pollinators. These bees are physically large enough to brush against both the anthers and the stigmas while foraging for nectar, effectively transferring the pollen.
Successful pollination leads to fertilization, which triggers the development of the ovary into the fruit. Because the plant relies on these specific, effective pollinators and often requires cross-pollination, not every flower that blooms will successfully set fruit. The successful transfer of sufficient pollen is also important because the number of seeds set directly influences the final size and juiciness of the resulting Maypop.