PlantFiles: Cork-bark Passion Flower, Devil's Pumpkin, Indigo Berry, Corky Passionflower, Corkstem Passionflower
Passiflora suberosa

This Passionflower is naturalized in both my front and back yard. I'm not sure where it came from, but it's a welcome, butterfly-attracting native that grows on top of my viburnum shrub and backyard fence. Contrary to one other post, I've read that the fruits are edible. I've eaten them several times and suffered no ill effect. This isn't a spectacular plant, but it's a good wildlife-attracting native for Florida gardeners.

As I feed birds, this is one of the plants which I have had bestowed on me by birds. It can be quite nice and attracts more birds and many butterflies. It can also be damaging to a hedge. It will come up through a hedge to the top and then proceed to spread thickly across the top of the hedge depriving the hedge of sunlight. It is very easy to control however as peering into the lower hedge limbs it is easy to discern the corky vine and pull it up out of the ground and then off of the hedge. I only pull them up when they're getting too big though, as young corky-stems are nice to have around. Never fear, by the time you pull one up, it has dropped many, many purple berries to assure you another corky-stem in the same place before too long.

I first thought I received this plant from a member of our local S Fl Galloping Gardeners, but I did not. It was a gift from the birds on the overhead utility lines on my East border. Since I received the original plant I have found four more in my yard.

The plant grows nicely without being overwhelming as is the case with many passion flower vines. The flowers are small and green, which is unusual. The plant can have several leaf shapes.

The fruit takes a while to mature but when it does, it contains many seeds. I have planted my seeds directly from the fruit. Use care when handeling the ripe fruit, as it will stain a deep purple color.

The plant is a favorite lavae plant for many butterflies.

It's also a Florida native species.

It is very easy propagating corky bark passiflora by sowing seeds. Seeds may be fresh or dryed and a few months old it will be succesful and interesting to follow the different shapes of leaves in their appearing. The plant is beatifull and rich in branching, 5m long.I grow the passiflora under glass .

This is a nice Passiflora. It does not take over the garden or sucker like P. incarnata tends to. The purple fruits are eaten by birds and the plant is also a larval food for the gulf fritillary, julia, and Zebra longwing caterpillars. Plants can be grown from seeds collected from the fruits, but it will take several months to germinate according to my reference ("A Gardener's Guide to Florida Native Plants" by Rufino Osorio, copyright 2001). Cuttings are the preferred method of propogation. The plant has very unique stems with ridges that develop as the stems age. The flowers are very small and fairly inconspicuous. Unlike the maypops produced by P. incarnata, the fruits of this plant are NOT edible for humans and are considered to be poisonous. In addition, the fruits will stain fingers and clothing if damaged, so care should be taken to protect anything you don't want to have dyed by crushed fruits when working around this plant.