Plant · GBIF taxon 2874218
purple passionflower
Passiflora incarnataAlso known as Maypop, True Passionflower, Wild Apricot, Wild Passion Vine
Climbing tendrils anchor this vigorous trailing vine as it scales fences, thickets, and sunny field borders across its native range. Intricate blossoms feature a central fringe of wavy purple filaments, opening for a single day to attract large native bees. The foliage serves as the primary host plant for Gulf Fritillary caterpillars, which absorb the plant's natural defensive compounds for their own protection.
VineFloweringHost Plant
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
- Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar
- Zebra Heliconian Caterpillar
- Variegated Fritillary Caterpillar
ThreatsHabitat conversion and widespread herbicide use along field margins
HabitatsFields, thickets, roadsides, disturbed ground, and sunny forest margins
Life spanPerennial (stems die back in winter, roots survive for decades)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyPassifloraceae
- SpeciesPassiflora incarnata
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Foliage and unripe fruit contain cyanogenic glycosides, and wild berries have toxic look-alikes; avoid ingesting wild plants.
Responsible observation
- Locating Blossoms: Search open, sunny fields and fence lines from midsummer through early autumn.
- Spotting Caterpillars: Inspect foliage undersides to find spiky orange Gulf Fritillary larvae feeding.
Larval Host "Gulf Fritillary butterfly" by USFWS/Southeast is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Pollinator (c) Christopher Eliot, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christopher Eliot · cc-by
Close Relative
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