Passion Flower, Carmine (Maracuja)
Passiflora alata
Family: Passifloraceae
Herbaceus or woody vine. Native to Peru and Brazil. The
flowers are the characteristically complex Passiflora type, but rich
red in color. The fruits are long, yellow and quite delicious.
After eating the fruit, sleep is deep. Cultivation:
As for Passionflower, Official, Extra care. Under normal warm planting
conditions, germination begins in about 20 days, and continues sporadically
and incompletely for several more weeks. To obtain full and rapid germination,
the best technique is what I call “Fire treating:” Sow the seeds
about 1/2 inch deep in good, moist potting soil in a wooden flat which
has been previously soaked to make it fire-resistant. Gather tinder
(dry pine needles and cones work best) and place in a goodly pile (6 inches
high or so) on the surface of the soil in the flat. Light it.
The fire burns for only a few minutes. After the fire, keep the flat
warm and watered. The seeds come up right through the charcoal in
about ten days. Plant 2 feet apart and trellis on the sunny side
of a building or on a fence.
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