# Passion Flower question



## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

I have been wanting to buy some passion flower seeds or starts and from what I read _passiflora incarnata_ is what I want. I did find a website offering seeds from many different "Passion flowers" but not the incarnata although they use it's picture. They offer these:

P.Adularia
P biflora
P.capsularis
P. coriacea
P.coriacea Wild collected
P.edulis flavicarpa
P. foetida hirsuitissiama
P.foetida hirsuta
P.foetida hibiscifolia
P.gilberti
P.gracilis
P.maliformis
P.morifolia
P.rasticulata
P.rubra
P.St Rule
P.suberosa
P.subpeltata

How much difference could there be in these from the incarnata? I mean for the herbal benefits. Anyone know?


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

> P.M. me.


Done.

I am kind of interested to see if it could slow my brain down enough to allow me to sleep without meds. They are present here according to all the info, I've just never seen any. I wouldn't mind having a whole fence full of them.


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## skruzich (Jul 23, 2003)

Dahc said:


> Done.
> 
> I am kind of interested to see if it could slow my brain down enough to allow me to sleep without meds. They are present here according to all the info, I've just never seen any. I wouldn't mind having a whole fence full of them.


Lord they grow wild all over georgia!  I have them all over the back here.


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

skruzich said:


> Lord they grow wild all over georgia!  I have them all over the back here.


I'll be happy to take some off of your hands too. Seriously.


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## skruzich (Jul 23, 2003)

Dahc said:


> I'll be happy to take some off of your hands too. Seriously.


I'll have to wait til they start emerging around here. well its like this, i cut them down with the mower already .

Uhmm when they pop up again, ill dig up a few.


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## Wildcrofthollow (Apr 20, 2005)

Wow, lots been going on here in plant and tree id land since I've been gone.

I don't know whether or not the other species of Passiflora would have the same active alkaloids as incarnata, tho I suspect not. Most of the reason that we don't know much about whether other species can be substituted or not has to do with the rift between the clinical side of herbalism and the growers or wildcrafters who service that market.
Trying not to make a blanket statement here but... It seems to me that most folks who are really good clinical herbalists have great abilities with people, what plants they might benefit from etc. They are the ones that want specific plants that they are familiar with the uses of. Most of them don't seem to harvest the plants for their pharmacopia, they buy them. P. incarnata is the plant that they have been using for generations and is the native which is common here. 
The wildcrafters and growers who provide the plants for the clinical herbalists are plant folks, some of whom concern themselves with the clinical side of things but I think that most don't. They seem to have more of a connection with plants than people. They know that P. incarnata is easy to grow and easy to find in the wild and have no problem providing it for the herbalists who want it.
Passionflower is a beautiful plant and the flowers are truly pretty. They have been picked up by the landscaping market and imported and hybridized and all kinds of things in order to make new, improved, exotic, (insert other ad campaign slogan here). Most clinical herbalists tend to stick with what they know works well and so there isn't much in the way of experimentation going on. 

regards,


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## sunshine estate (Mar 31, 2006)

I'm down in Florida...I've wanted some passion flowers for a long time, and found some about 1/10 mile away from our new "farmette"...I was walking the dog, so I got a bucket and a shovel and dug some up (ditch-side, no one lives there)...and three vines are still growing where I planted them...growing slow because of the drought, but still hanging in there...not sure of variety...

When I've seen them in the past, they were close to the ocean...growing in sand, basically...


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

They grow wild here too.


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

I still need some.


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## peekin (Apr 11, 2006)

Dahc said:


> I still need some.


I have them everywhere here. If you can find some growing wild in your area, the best thing for you would be to gather some of the pods after they've flowers and pop them or let them rot on your land.

If there are none growing around you, PM me your address. I'll be happy to send you some pods, although it will be several months before they're ready.

I've tried to collect the seeds and plant them as flowers. It doesn't work very well, although the seeds I put in the ground last year have come up. But the plants from those seeds aren't as vigorous as the plants which grow wild from the seeds of pods which have rotted on the ground. Some people pop the pods and have success. I've popped them but I usually just let them rot on the ground.


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

peekin said:


> I have them everywhere here. If you can find some growing wild in your area, the best thing for you would be to gather some of the pods after they've flowers and pop them or let them rot on your land.
> 
> If there are none growing around you, PM me your address. I'll be happy to send you some pods, although it will be several months before they're ready.
> 
> I've tried to collect the seeds and plant them as flowers. It doesn't work very well, although the seeds I put in the ground last year have come up. But the plants from those seeds aren't as vigorous as the plants which grow wild from the seeds of pods which have rotted on the ground. Some people pop the pods and have success. I've popped them but I usually just let them rot on the ground.


Peekin, that's very generous of you. Someone contacted me and offered to help but thank you for the offer.

I just read that the positive effects of passionflower concerning insomnia and nervous disorders and even spasms were verified in 1920 and that prior to 1980, there were over 40 medicines in europe used to treat insomnia in which passion flower extract was the main ingredient. [EDIT]: In germany.

We have done a bad thing by letting this plant become known as a field weed (not you peekin). It sounds like a very valuable thing.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Chad, where did you read that? I'm really interested!


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

Cyngbaeld said:


> Chad, where did you read that? I'm really interested!


In "Identifying and harvesting edible and medicinal plants in wild (and not so wild) places" by: "Wildman" Steve Brill.... on page 106.

Over the next day or two I'll be reading more stuff that's online. If I find some confirmation on the internet, I'll post links.

I had to edit that post. It was supposed to say "In germany".


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Thanks. It is alway good to hear of a herb that has had some real research on it.

I did find some stuff on it.
http://altnature.com/gallery/passionflower.htm


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

Could some of you fine folks who have passion flowers see if this looks like one? I have been searching steadily to see if I could find some plants on this property. I found two but the biggest one is only about 8" tall.

Here are the leaves and here is a view of the stem .


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## Wildcrofthollow (Apr 20, 2005)

That sure does look like passion flower to me.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Looks like you found some! Watch for the bloom because it is distinctive.


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## caballoviejo (Sep 6, 2004)

Congratulations,

That's definitely _Passiflora incarnata_.

If you want to push it along you can fertilze and water it. It will get up to 3 ft quickly that way. You can trellis it like grapes.


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

I need to move it closer to the house. It's in a spot my dad just had cleared for a small house. If I don't move it, it will get driven over or walked on. There's another smaller one. I guess I got two. That's better than what I did have. lol.

Will this live better in better soil or is that too much? It's in white field sand right now.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Yes, it should do better with better soil. You can give it a bit of manure too.

I'll still plan to send seeds in case these don't make the move.


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## caballoviejo (Sep 6, 2004)

Dahc,

Its good that its in sand - easier digging. Expect the stem to go quite deep before you hit any roots though. This plant can wilt very quickly so have either a bucket with moist sand/soil in it to immediately receive what you've dug or have a pot or hole already dug to immediately place it in.


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

caballoviejo said:


> Dahc,
> 
> Its good that its in sand - easier digging. Expect the stem to go quite deep before you hit any roots though. This plant can wilt very quickly so have either a bucket with moist sand/soil in it to immediately receive what you've dug or have a pot or hole already dug to immediately place it in.


Hey, thanks you two. That's good to know. I feel confident enough to go dig it up now.

Yes Cyngbaeld, please do send the seed. I'll plant every last one of them.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

This is what I grew up calling "Maypops" right? If so I'll be happy to gather pods when they're ready late in the summer and send them to anyone that wants them. Usually I just pop them to hear them pop! My mom tells me they used to eat the pods when she was growing up...her mom would gather them and serve them at supper. Not sure how she fixed them though. I'll have to ask my mom. I think you can make jelly with the pods as well.

SO...anyone wanting Maypop pods (AKA Passionflower) let me know. We have bunches of them here in MS!


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

I have someone who is sending me a few but you should check out the price of them on eBay. lol. I saw some trying to get $5 for 10 seeds. I didn't look to see if they were selling, I was too busy choking on my coffee.

It was very nice of you to offer those seeds.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Well if that made you choke, look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Hardy-Passion...774234680QQcategoryZ43549QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

Cyngbaeld said:


> Well if that made you choke, look at this:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/5-Hardy-Passion...774234680QQcategoryZ43549QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Holy Moly! There's no way. 5 whole seeds for 10 smackers. I read once the seeds have been dried and stored, germination rates drop down to 20%. Somebody's gonna get 1 whole plant for $10. 

If I had some I'd sell them for $2 for 50 just to mess someone like that up. That seems kind of dishonest to me.

A person can buy them here , 25 for $3.50. I hear germination could take months though.


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## skruzich (Jul 23, 2003)

Dahc said:


> Holy Moly! There's no way. 5 whole seeds for 10 smackers. I read once the seeds have been dried and stored, germination rates drop down to 20%. Somebody's gonna get 1 whole plant for $10.
> 
> If I had some I'd sell them for $2 for 50 just to mess someone like that up. That seems kind of dishonest to me.
> 
> A person can buy them here , 25 for $3.50. I hear germination could take months though.


Gee you should see what they get for pot seeds
63.00 - 100 bucks for 10


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

Well, my good friend Caballoviejo was nice enough to send me a big fat envelope full of passion flower leaves. For the last three nights I have left my sleep meds alone and drank passion flower tea instead. All three nights I have gone to sleep within 30 minutes. I'm having some now. With a teaspoon of honey and some lemon, it is very agreeable.

I have had trouble sleeping for at least 20 years now and was taking trazadone which is a sleep induser. Not a sleep aid, it makes you sleep. I am very happy that I may be able to leave these meds alone now.

Thanks Caballoviejo!!


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

All you need is one seed pod and you will have 100's of plants. We call them May Pops......... Throw them on the ground and hear them pop and next yr. they are everywhere!!!!!! They grow wild up here also..


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## labrat (Jun 3, 2005)

here's a link. . .
http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/pas.incar.htm


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## ReddRubyyDoo (Jul 11, 2006)

All over my backyard, down my driveway and over yonder.
It is so sweet smelling to say the least. (passionflowers)

My relatives that live in Morgan City, LA. when they come and visit they time it just right to pull the seed balls off and they eat them like that are going out of style! (the inside seeds)

I dont like them, maybe with a pound of sugar on them. 

My question is this. They are growing in places I dont want them to grow. I have tried many times and failed many times on growing them. I have tried wet seeds, dried seeds, up-rooting them and even using root hormons. To no previal, I can not seem to get a plant started!

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!


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## ReddRubyyDoo (Jul 11, 2006)

Queen Bee said:


> All you need is one seed pod and you will have 100's of plants. We call them May Pops......... Throw them on the ground and hear them pop and next yr. they are everywhere!!!!!! They grow wild up here also..



I will try this. This is ONE thing that I havent tried.


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## CountryDreams (Oct 10, 2005)

I've been looking for these seeds everywhere. My mom had some growing all along a fence but she's since sold that house and we can't get any of the pods. 

Would someone care to share some seeds with me? I'll gladly pay postage and even something for your troubles. If you have some to share, could you PM me? Thanks


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## Tabitha (Apr 10, 2006)

I have some growing all over my porch banisters. my experience is that they do not care too much to be transplanted. I transplanted some earlier this year for my sister in law, kept it in a pot for a long time. it lived, but did not thrive. the ones that seem to do best are the ones where a whole fruit gets to rot. I think I will put some along our new fence this fall. we have two kinds here, with eggshaped fruit and with round fruit, otherwise they look identical. last fall I made some jam, we like to eat them, but since they are so full of seeds it is difficult to spit them all out, so we just crunch the seeds down too. 

yes it is true, In Germany you can buy sleep medication with passiflora, also some that contains hops, valerian and passiflora.


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