Another Plant that is Not Just for the Patio Anymore
Purple Passion Plant, also known as Passiflora incarnata, is generally found growing wild in the southern part of the United States, but can be an interesting and beautiful exotic houseplant. This vining plant, known as the Purple Passion Plant or Purple Passion Flower, gets its name from comparing it to the elements of the Crucifixion of Christ. The flower of this plant has 5 petals and 5 sepals which represent the 10 Apostles, minus Peter and Judas. The 3 pistils or styles that the flower has represents the nails in the cross. The corona or filament located at the top of the flower is representative of the Crown of Thorns placed on Jesus' head. The 5 anthers represent Christ's 5 wounds and the stemmed ovary represents the Lord's Goblet. The beautiful purple color of these flowers along with the representation of each part of these flowers makes this plant a very interesting and exotic houseplant when moved inside the home.
Care of these beautiful exotic houseplants involves knowing what conditions must be met for these plants to thrive. These plants need sunlight, soil and water just as most other plants. Homeowners should consider the amount of sunlight available inside their home. This plant thrives on bright sunlight, which enables it to keep its purple color, so if you are considering using Purple Passion Plant as a houseplant, be sure it can have bright sunlight, but not burning afternoon sunlight. Water is another important element for this plant, water it regularly, but do not over water it. Purple Passion Plant does best in moist soil, such as potting soil that has 50% peat moss added to it. Another care issue is keeping this exotic houseplant trimmed to 3' or less. This trimming will aid in the plant keeping its purple color. These simple growing instructions make most anyone with any amount of green thumb capable of growing this plant, making it an exotic houseplant that is worth considering when looking for your next favorite houseplant.
Purple Passion Plant also blooms and has fruit. The fruit is edible, but other parts of this plant can be poisonous if ingested. Blooms are pale pink, violet/lavender or purple and usually occur from mid summer to early fall. The fruit is hollow and smooth inside and contains many black seeds that have juicy pulp clinging onto them. The juice created from this fruit is perfect for jelly, syrups, pies, cakes, ice cream puddings and juices.
Propagation is generally easy, especially when pruning takes place. Simply take the cuttings, which are usually 3-5" in length and place them in soil, vermiculite or just in fresh water. In a matter of time, you will have new Purple Passion Plant and another exotic houseplant to keep or share.
So next time you are considering adding another houseplant, consider an exotic houseplant such as the Purple Passion Plant. With just a little care, this plant can remain part of your indoor garden and outdoor as well, for many years to come.
