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Passiflora lindeniana - Tree Passion Flower

This is a rare offering of the amazing Passiflora lindeniana - the Tree Passion Flower.  It looks nothing like typical Passiflora vines because it's not a vine!  It is a free-standing, woody tree, growing up to 60 feet tall and 4 feet wide at the base!  Its outrageously large leaves usually grow 1 to 1½ feet long, but can potentially get to 3 feet!  This is an endangered species from the cool mountains of Venezuela, where only a few stands are left.  Because of its cool climate origin, it might not thrive in hot climates.  If you can provide the right conditions, it's a very fun plant to grow.  This is one of the "holy grails" of Passifloras.  Seeds are difficult to germinate, so i offer established plants.

Passiflora lindeniana- Tree Passionflower

Passiflora lindeniana takes on a palm-like shape, with good branching near the top.  It sheds its leaves each winter if temperatures are cool enough.  Indoors, it grows quite vigorously for a woody plant.  Since it isn't a vine, it is completely free of tendrils.  It hasn't flowered for me yet, but a picture of the 2 inch flower is here.  Its yellow, 2 inch fruits are supposedly edible.  The plant is nearing extinction in the wild due to a local species of fly, whose larvae eat the developing fruit.  In most years, all the fruit of every tree is infested, making it near impossible for the plants to reproduce.

Passiflora lindeniana

I have no information about how much heat it can handle, but it seems to prefer temperatures below 80 degrees F (27°C), with cool nights.  I suspect that it won't be happy in temperatures that are consistently above 85° F (29°C) and nights are warm (above 65°F / 18°C).  I believe that it can only survive down to about 25°F (-4°C).  It has been successfully grafted onto some other Passiflora species, which might allow it to be grown in warmer or colder conditions than it is used to.

It grows well in a large pot.  Like most Passifloras, it enjoys rich, well-draining soil.  Aim to keep the soil evenly moist (but not soggy), and do not let it dry out.  It likes filtered sun, and probably will need some protection from strong afternoon sun.  Over 40% humidity is recommended.  The plant can respond to stress by dropping its leaves, but it re-grows them once conditions improve.

 

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