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Thursday - April 23, 2015

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Shrubs, Vines
Title: Passiflora and Leucophyllum together in Texas
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

I've got a Passiflora incarnata that has self-propagated around a cenizo sage. My question is, will the passionflower vine choke out or otherwise damage the cenizo? Do I need to cut back the vine? The cenizo is probably about three feet high and two feet at its widest part.

ANSWER:

The vigorous Passiflora incarnata (Purple passionflower) certainly will try to overgrow the Leucophyllum candidum (Cenizo sage). And birds do like to drop seeds to spread the plant to brand new areas. Feel free to cut back the Passiflora as much that is needed so that it is not infringing onto the Cenizo sage space.

Purple passion-flower is an herbaceous vine, up to 25 ft. long, that climbs with axillary tendrils or sprawls along the ground. Intricate, 3 in., lavender flower are short-stalked from leaf axils. The petals and sepals subtend a fringe of wavy or crimped, hair-like segments. The pistil and stamens are also showy. Three-lobed, deciduous leaves are dark-green above and whitish below. The fruit is a large, orange-yellow berry with edible pulp. Like some other passion vines, Maypop spreads by root suckers.

From the Image Gallery

Maypop
Passiflora incarnata

Brewster county barometerbush
Leucophyllum candidum