Passiflora Incarnata

''Passiflora incarnata'', commonly known as maypop, purple passionflower, true passionflower, wild apricot, and wild passion vine, is a fast-growing perennial vine with climbing or trailing stems. A member of the passionflower genus ''Passiflora'', the maypop has large, intricate flowers with prominent styles and stamens. One of the hardiest species of passionflower, it is both found as a wildflower in the southern United States and in cultivation for its fruit and striking bluish purple blooms. ''Passiflora incarnata'' fruit contain many seeds, each surrounded by an aril holding edible juice, and this juice can be consumed fresh or used to flavor processed products.

Description

The stems can be smooth or pubescent; they are long and trailing, possessing many tendrils. Leaves are alternate and palmately 3-lobed and occasionally 5-lobed, measuring . They have two characteristic glands at the base of the blade on the petiole. Flowers have five bluish-white petals. They exhibit a white and purple ''corona'', a structure of fine appendages between the petals and stamens. The large flower is typically arranged in a ring above the petals and sepals. They are pollinated by insects such as bumblebees and carpenter bees, and are self-sterile. The flower normally begins to bloom in July.

The fleshy fruit, also referred to as a maypop, is an oval yellowish berry about the size of a hen egg; it is green, though it may become yellow-green to yellow-orange as it matures. Like other passifloras, the pulp is gelatinous and encases the seeds. The color of the pulp is originally white and becomes a dull yellow when ripe. The seeds are black and approximately 5 mm in size. As with other passifloras, it is the larval food of a number of lepidoptera species, including the zebra longwing, the Gulf fritillary, the crimson-patched longwing, the Julia, the Plebeian sphinx, and the variegated fritillary. In many cases its fruit is very popular with wildlife. The egg-shaped green fruits 'may pop' when stepped on. This phenomenon gives the ''P. incarnata'' its common name, as well as the fact that its roots can remain dormant for most of the winter underground and then the rest of the plant "pops" out of the ground by May, unharmed by the snow.

The maypop occurs in thickets, disturbed areas, near riverbanks, and near unmowed pastures, roadsides, and railroads. It thrives in areas with plentiful sunlight. It is not found in shady areas beneath a forest canopy.

The Cherokee in the Tennessee area called it '; the Ocoee River and valley are named after this plant, which is the Tennessee state wildflower. The local salamander ''Desmognathus ocoee'' in the Tennessee region is also named after the Cherokee word for ''P. incarnata''. For thousands of years the maypop was a staple food and medicinal plant for the Cherokee and to this day it is a revered piece of their heritage. This, and other passionflowers are the exclusive larval host plants for the Gulf fritillary and non-exclusive for the variegated fritillary butterflies.

Cultivation

''Passiflora incarnata'' is easily cultivated and in its native range and homeland is a common low maintenance garden plant that can be trained to adorn fences and arbors. The wild maypop is an aggressive vine native to the southeastern United States extending into the central US reaching Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The vines can carpet the floor of thickets within days in favorable weather. The plants grow in full sun and need direct sunlight for at least half of the day. The best soils for ''P. incarnata'' are well-drained but the plants tolerate occasionally wet and acidic soils. The plants have a high drought tolerance. ''P. incarnata'' can be planted all the year in zone 7–11 (hardiness zone). The space between two plants is 36–60 inches (91.44 – 152.4 cm). One to two years are necessary before they begin bearing. Each flower has a very short life (about one day). Then the fruit develops in two to three months. The harvest depends on vine size and age of the plant but one reported 10–20 fruits per vine. Seeds can be collected in the fall after the fruit has begun to shrivel. There are some problems with nematodes and caterpillars in the culture of ''P. incarnata''.

The flowers appear suitable for carpenter bee pollination and may attract ruby-throated hummingbirds. As both bees and hummingbirds look for nectar, the pollen filled flower anthers brush the back of the bee or the face of the hummingbird, enabling pollen to be readily transferred to the central sticky stigma.

''Passiflora incarnata'' can potentially become an agricultural weed. The genus ''Passiflora'' introduced for agricultural purpose has been reported as an important weed in certain regions of the world. The United States Department of Agriculture notes that ''P. incarnata'' is referred to as a weed by these publications: ''Weeds of Kentucky and adjacent states: a field guide'' and ''Weeds of the United States and Canada''.

Mechanical control as removing the suckers regularly is advised to prevent the spreading of maypop. It is also recommended to train the vines onto trellis and fences to limit propagation.

Traditional medicine

Historical uses and folk medicine

Historically, the plant has been used as a herbal medicine in the belief it may be used for anxiety, insomnia, or hypertension. In traditional medicine, passionflower is reputed to have a number of potential uses including diarrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, neuralgia, burns, haemorrhoids and insomnia as used historically in Europe.

Passionflower is included in pharmacopeias, such as the European and British Pharmacopoeias in which the dried aerial parts of the plant are mentioned. In North America and South America, tea made from the roots is used as a tonic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had formally approved the herb as an over-the-counter sleep-aid or sedative, however in 1978, the agency withdrew this approval during a drug-class review because manufacturers did not submit any evidence regarding its safety and effectiveness.

Safety

A 2013 literature review found that the herb has "a good safety profile". One study found that a daily intake of 800 mg of a dried alcoholic extract, taken over the course of 8 weeks for anxiety, appeared to have been safe.

Passionflower is used as a natural flavoring agent in food manufacturing and is generally recognized as a safe substance (GRAS).

''P. incarnata'' is also listed in the European Register of Feed additives as an animal feed additive.

Interactions

Possible interactions with following medications:
* Sedatives
* Anticoagulants
* Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
''P. incarnata'' may increase main effects or side effects of medications listed above.

For oral consumption, pregnant or breastfeeding women should use caution and seek medical advice before orally consuming ''P. incarnata''. The effects of oral ingestion of the plant compounds on reproduction or on unborn child have not been tested.

Phytochemistry

''P. incarnata'' contains flavonoids and alkaloids, with leaves containing the greatest concentration of flavonoids. Other flavonoids present in ''P. incarnata'' include chrysin, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, and isovitexin.

The main bioactive substances identified in ''P. incarnata'' include polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, anthocyanins and other natural antioxidants. The polyphenols mainly belonging to the flavones C-glucoside class are present in ''P. incarnata'' and these phenols and flavonoids have high potential antioxidant properties that exhibit significant free radical scavenging activity.

Culinary uses

Passionflower has culinary fruits that may be used for jams, jellies and desserts.The juice is a favorite flavoring in drinks. It can be used as a fresh substitute for its commercially grown South American relative, ''Passiflora edulis'', a related species with similar sized fruit. The fruit can be eaten by hand, as indicated by its common name, given to it by Cajuns: liane de grenade or "pomegranate vine". It has a mildly sweet-tart taste similar to an apricot and a pleasant scent when fully ripe. The Passiflora family have aromatic, sweet fruit that make it highly appreciated for fresh consumption and as a flavoring aid.

Notes

:1.See Monoamine oxidase inhibitor on Wikipedia.

References

External links

''Passiflora incarnata'': information and pictures

{{Authority control

incarnata
Butterfly food plants
Flora of the Eastern United States
Flora of the Southeastern United States
Flora of Alabama
Flora of Florida
Flora of the United States
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Plants used in Native American cuisine
Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Flora of Maryland