Description
Botanical Name: Passiflora pallida, syn. Passiflora suberosa
Common Name: Corkystem Passionflower, Corkystem Passionvine, Devil’s Pumpkin, Indigo Berry
Description: Super cool native Passionvine we should all have in our gardens. Even though this doesn’t bloom the beautiful, large, very colorful alien-looking flowers that other Passionvines have, it is still very much worth growing and beautiful in its own way. It does, however, bloom beautiful, small, alien-looking greenish/yellowish flowers. By “small,” I mean they’re only about the size of a quarter.
It’s the host plant for these butterflies: Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius); Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae); and Julia (Dryas iulia). Is pollinated by bees. Birds and other critters like to eat the fruit.
It is a spreading evergreen perennial vine with alternate entire or three-lobed leaves and small, inconspicuous greenish/yellowish flowers. Easy to cultivate, likes sun, part sun, or part shade and well-drained soils. Thrives in gardens. Makes an attractive groundcover, or can be trained on a trellis or up a tree. May require pruning in small spaces. Quickly grows to about 15′. Grows in moist to dry, well-drained soils.
Its natural habitat in Florida is Pine rocklands, pinelands, hammocks, coastal uplands, disturbed areas. Very drought tolerant once established. Purple-black berries are edible.
Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Moderately tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.
Plant Lore: An interesting characteristic of P. pallida is the variable shape of its leaves. From lobed to lanceolate, broad to narrow, small to large, all these different-shaped leaves are very often all found on a single plant. Atlas of Florida Plants has more information on the name confusion of Passiflora pallida and Passiflora suberosa. Click Passiflora Pallida to go to that website.
This plant in 1-gallon containers is 5 -15 inches tall.
Florida Hardiness Zones 9 – 11 / East Gulf Coastal Plains Ecoregion
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