Passiflora coccinea seed

LATIN NAME: Passiflora coccinea

COMMON NAME: Red Passion Flower

The red passion flower is the scarlet crown of the warm climber, and the bold, red flowers open against the green curtain of the leaves. The vigorous, evergreen, tendril climber carries the glossy, three-lobed leaves and the large, showy, scarlet-crimson flowers with the fine, darker corona of the many filaments through the summer and into the autumn, one of the fine, bold sights of the warm wall. The flowers have a long record as the striking red of the tropical garden, and the climber is a fine, generous presence of the warm fence. It is a climber of the open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The red passion flower is a bright subject of the plant science, and the scarlet crowns keep showing up in the work on the passion-flower group. The breeding of the passifloras for the bold colours and the long season has been studied closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the warm climbers, the tropical vines and the members of the passion-flower family. The glossy, three-lobed leaves and the tendril habit have also made it a fine study climber, and the red passion flower is a regular subject of the work on the scarlet crowns of the warm world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The red passion flower is a fine, generous climber of the warm wall and the tropical garden. The large, showy, scarlet-crimson flowers open through the summer, one of the fine, bold sights of the warm fence, drawing the hummingbirds of the warm lands and the large bees, and the fine, darker corona of the many filaments holds the curious, clockwork face of the flower. The climber is one of the fine choices for the warm wall, the pergola and the glasshouse, and it has been written up in the horticultural and the botanical papers for the scarlet crowns and the clockwork faces. It is a fine, generous climber of the open, sunny to partly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained garden.

Give the climber a warm, sheltered wall and a little feed in the growing season for the long flush of the scarlet crowns.

To grow the red passion flower from seed, sow the small, flat seeds a centimetre down in a pot of fine seed compost, keep the pot in a warm, bright spot and water gently, then set the young plants out against the warm wall. The seedlings show themselves within a few weeks and grow on fast. With the sun, the warmth and the deep, moist, well-drained ground, the scarlet crowns will open through the summer.

Passiflora coccinea, commonly called red passion flower or red granadilla, is a tropical, tendril-climbing, evergreen vine from South America that typically grows to 10-12′ and to 3-5′ wide and produces extremely showy scarlet red to deep red passion flowers (each to 3-4″ wide). Flowers are followed by orange to yellow, edible passion fruit (to 2-3″ long) known as red granadilla. Smooth, red to purple stems are clad with single, doubly serrate, oblong, medium green leaves (to 5″ long). Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the flowers.

Best flowering in full sun, but tolerates light shade. This flowering vine appreciates high humidity, but needs good air circulation to discourage fungal diseases. Water evenly and consistently during the growing season. Vines produce flowers on new growth, so they may be pruned as needed early in the growing season. Bring vines indoors before first fall frost date. Reduce watering from fall to late winter.

Passiflora coccinea seeds will usually germinate in 30-365 days, even under good conditions germination may be erratic.
Sow Passiflora coccinea seeds about 6mm deep in a Peaty seed sowing mix at about 20-30°C.

Soak Passiflora coccinea seeds in warm water, which should be changed daily. Most seeds swell up when they are soaked, those that do should be sown immediately. Seeds that don’t swell can be gently scarified.