Passiflora Gilbertii (Passion Fruit, Passion Flower)

Passiflora Gilbertii Seeds (Passion Fruit, Passion Flower)


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Quick description:

The flowers are medium-sized, three inches across and a pretty mauve and white in colour, very fragrant.


Passiflora gilbertii is a vigorous climber. It climbs by means of clinging tendrils and can be kept as an container plant. The long tendrils need lots of support for climbing. Fast growing vine which can grow over 10 meters tall. It may be grown as a houseplant in a sunny South-facing window. The flowers are medium-sized, three inches across and a pretty mauve and white in colour, very fragrant. In warm weather the flowers may be followed by masses of toxic fruits when not ripe. An established plant will produce between ten and thirty flowers, at all time, from April to November. The leaves are small, medium green and tri-lobed. Pruning is a must to keep the vine healthy. Prune off less vigorous growth and occasionally prune back vigorous growth to promote flowering. When established, and without care, the passion fruit can easily overtake other garden plants, shading them from sun. Hardiness zone 11, (4°C/40°F) in Winter. Protect from frost or plant in frost free areas. Keep the atmosphere humid through the Summer and place in full sun, can tolerate partial shade. Passiflora Gilbertii loves the warm humid Tropics. You may need to water your plants on a daily basis during the hottest Summer months. During the Winter the roots should be kept moist, but as growth will be much slower you will probably only need to water once a week, depending on growing temperature. It will do best in a loam based mix with a little peat moss. Fertilize at least once every two weeks in the growing season. If their pot is too large or if they have an unrestricted root run then the whole plant will simply get bigger and bigger but it will refuse to flower and therefore produce the fruits. By limiting the pot size you are limiting the ability to grow and this is seen as a threat, so the natural mechanism is to produce seed for the next generation. A suitably sized pot for an adult plant would generally be of 12 inches in diameter.
Label No
Common name Passion Flower
Family No
Genus No
Species Passiflora Gilbertii
Cultivar No
Therapeutic uses No
Germination Soak seed in warm water for 24 hours before sowing, in a good seed compost at 1/4" deep. For Passiflora seeds, instead of using water you can use a high pulp fruit juice such as passion fruit juice or orange juice. The acid in these juices will soften the shell and speed up germination. Keep damp soil, not soaking wet. Keep pot in warm situation 20°C/68°F, 24°C/75°F. Cover the top of the pot with clear plastic so the humidity will remain high.

When you see some tiny plants starting to sprout, slowly open the top of the pot, a little each day, so that the new seedlings don't go into shock from the humidity being lowered too quickly. Germination of Passiflora can occur in weeks or take several months. If you want to speed up germination, you can use the bottom heat technique, but it isn't a must.
