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Turquoise Puya

Passiflora kermesina

Passiflora kermesina is a spectacular species from Brazil that's rarely seen in cultivation.  The big, 4 inch wide blossoms have bright-pink petals and are topped with bluish-violet filaments.  What a great color combination!  Each flower is suspended outward by a long stem, to show off this marvelous work of nature to butterflies and hummingbirds.  This species was thought to have gone extinct, until it was recently rediscovered in Brazil.  Seeds don't germinate well unless fresh, so i offer established plants.

Passiflora kermesina

Passiflora kermesina is a medium-sized vine with leaves that have 3 lobes.  The richly-colored flowers look somewhat like Passiflora loefgrenii, but the petals are pinker and more slender.  When the blooms first open, the petals are reflexed downward, and then straighten out as they mature, and also soften up in color a bit.  This is a true species, not a hybrid.

It flowers whenever temperatures are above about 65° F (18°C).  I have no information on whether it can handle freezing conditions, or how much heat it can take.  It is reported to grow and flower in Florida, where it gets in the low 90s (33°C).  It has taken winter temperatures in the upper 30s (3°C) here in San Francisco.  The plant is easily kept in a 5 gallon pot and pruned to any size that is convenient.  It likes a few hours of sunlight.  Full sun might be too much for it in warmer climates.  Like most Passifloras, it it prefers moist, well-draining soil and regular feeding.

Passiflora kermesina

 

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Turquoise Puya

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