PASSIFLORA quadrangularis

Interessant evergreen climbing plant which comes from South America. It is very ornamental and it's one of the most beautiful of all PASSIFLORA species. It has a fast growth and infact he can quickly reach 8-10 metres of height. Hardy and quadrangular stems are herbaceous at the top and semi-woody at the bottom; they bring numerous tendrils with whom the plant can tie and climb on any support. Leaves are big, smooth and ovate, of a bright green color. Between the end of summer and the start of autumn, showy and fragrant big flowers (even of 10 cm) appear at the apex of branches; they have white sepals, reddish petals and a long central crown made of white, purple and blue filaments. Blooming is followed by tasty, big and ovoid, edible fruits even if at our latitudes they arise only if the plant is grown in greenhouses.

It needs a sunny or bright position, otherwise its blooming could be poorer or even absent. It prefers soils which are loose, rich, fertile and well drained. It tolerates drought, but in summer it benefits from periodical irrigations above all in the hottest periods. Infact these last ones improve the general aspect of the plant and its next blooming. It suffers the frost, above all if it is intense and prolonged because it could damage the upper part of the plant: so it's better to place it in wind-sheltered places. in spring, you could remove the damaged and disordered branches and shorten the longest ones in order to give this plant a thicker shape and to stimulate the next branching and blooming. It can also be grown in pots or containers which could be brought in fresh and bright sheltered places.