Tennessee’s State Wildflower
Photo credit: Janet Dowlen
If the exotic blooms of Passiflora incarnata don’t intrigue you, the plant lore will.
Passion flower is perhaps the most widely used of its common names, which originated with early Christian missionaries who saw various parts of the flowers as symbols of the crucifixion. More rural names of wild apricot and maypop refer to the fruit of the plant. The fruit does make a loud popping noise when crushed, but May is not the season of its ripening this far north.
This adaptable plant grows across Tennessee in sunny spots along waterways, roadways and field edges. No wonder it’s been deemed our state wildflower. In the landscape, it can climb on structures or be left to scramble across the ground. Its vigorous nature requires regularly removing root suckers to control its spread, but for many gardeners, the merits exceed the drawbacks. For more on this flower; CLICK HERE