Passiflora foetida - Wild Water Lemon

This pastel Passionflower has made its way from the West Indies to tropical gardens worldwide. The fragrant blossoms are 2" across and can be pink, white, or pale blue. The tiny edible fruits are striking - bright red, covered with lacy netting. They're delicately flavored, most often used in juice. Leaves make a calming tea.

A small, vigorous wiry vine, it grows quickly to 3'- 6' and flowers generously. It's a host plant for Gulf Fritillary butterflies and birds love the fruit. Deer ignore it completely.

Wild Water Lemon loves sun or bright shade, prefers moist soil, is evergreen in warm zones 9-11 where temperatures don't drop much below freezing. Outdoors it spreads by runners and is best confined to a pot. It's an amazing houseplant, will even set fruit indoors if hand pollinated.

This is an enthusiastic vine and can be invasive in the tropics. Birds love the fruit and drop seeds everywhere. It's best suited for culture a bit outside its comfort zone. Seeds should be soaked for a few days, then planted in warm soil.

10 seeds