Passionflower is one of the most striking flowers you can grow in a Dutch garden. But passionflower isn't a single plant: the blue passionflower on your fence is a different species from the passionflower used as an herb in tea. In this guide you'll learn how to tell the species apart, how to grow Passiflora incarnata yourself, how to harvest and dry it, and how to make a good cup of passionflower tea.
What is passionflower?
Passionflowers (Passiflora) are climbing plants from the passionflower family (Passifloraceae). There are more than 500 species, most of them from Central and South America. They climb with tendrils and have flowers with a striking ring of thread-like filaments above the petals. Spanish missionaries saw the Passion of Christ in that flower: the filaments as the crown of thorns, the stigmas as the nails. That's how the plant got its name.
Blue passionflower or Passiflora incarnata?
In Dutch gardens and garden centres you'll almost always come across the blue passionflower. For herbal tea, you use Passiflora incarnata, the American species. Here's the difference:
| Passiflora incarnata | Blue passionflower | Passion fruit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Passiflora incarnata | Passiflora caerulea | Passiflora edulis |
| Origin | South-eastern United States | South America | South America |
| Flower | White to lilac, with a wavy purple ring | White with a blue-white-purple ring | White with a purple-white ring |
| Leaf | Three-lobed | Five- to seven-lobed, hand-shaped | Three-lobed, glossy |
| Fruit | Yellow-green, edible when ripe | Orange, bland | The familiar passion fruit |
| Hardy | Yes, dies back above ground and sprouts again in spring | Moderately, usually survives against a sheltered wall | No, indoors or in a greenhouse only |
| For tea | Yes, the flowering herb | No | No, only the fruit |
Don't use the blue passionflower from your garden for tea. Its leaves contain cyanogenic glycosides, compounds that can release cyanide in your body. The dried Passionflower 20 grams at Dutch-Smart is Passiflora incarnata.
What's in it?
Passiflora incarnata mainly contains flavonoids such as vitexin, isovitexin, orientin and chrysin. It also contains traces of harmala alkaloids, such as harman. In an ordinary cup of tea those amounts are very small. Passionflower has traditionally been drunk as an evening tea. No health claims have been approved in the EU for passionflower as an herb or food supplement, so we don't promise any effects either.
Which form should you choose?
| Product | Form | Use | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passionflower 20 grams | Dried, cut herb | Tea, 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup | Anyone who wants to brew or blend their own tea |
| Passionflower 1:1 extract | Liquid herbal extract | Drops, as directed on the packaging | Anyone who'd rather not brew tea |
Making passionflower tea in 5 steps
- Take 1 to 2 grams of dried passionflower, about 1 to 2 teaspoons.
- Pour a cup of boiling water over it, about 150 to 250 ml.
- Cover the cup and let it steep for 10 minutes.
- Strain out the herb. The taste is mild, grassy and slightly herbal.
- Preferably drink it in the evening. Stick to a maximum of 8 grams of herb a day.
Tasty combinations
Passionflower has a fairly neutral taste and works well in an evening blend. Combine it with lemon balm for a fresh note, a pinch of lavender for something floral, or chamomile. You'll find more herbs for a quiet evening among our relaxing herbs and in the tea category.
Growing Passiflora incarnata
Passiflora incarnata is a vigorous climber that can grow 3 to 6 metres in a single season. In Dutch winters it dies back above ground, but the roots survive even hard frost. In spring it comes back up, often not until May or June.
Sowing
- Soak the seeds in lukewarm water for 24 hours. The hard seed coat then absorbs moisture more easily.
- Sow them indoors in March or April, about half a centimetre deep in moist seed compost.
- Keep the tray warm, at 20 to 25 °C, with a clear lid over it.
- Keep the soil moist and be patient. Passionflower seed germinates slowly and unevenly, anywhere from two weeks to two months.
- Prick out the seedlings once they have a few true leaves and plant them outside after mid-May.
The right spot
Choose a sunny, warm spot with at least six hours of sun a day, ideally against a south-facing wall or fence with a trellis or mesh to climb. The soil must drain well: wet feet in winter are its worst enemy. Cover the base of the plant with a layer of mulch or straw in autumn. Passiflora incarnata also sends up suckers, so it can spread a little. If you don't want that, grow it in a large pot.
Harvesting and drying
- Harvest in summer, while the plant is flowering.
- On a dry morning, cut the top parts of the vines, with leaves and flowers.
- Cut them into pieces and dry them on a rack somewhere dark and airy, or in a food dehydrator at no more than 40 °C.
- Once the herb rustles dry, store it in a dark, airtight jar.
In autumn you can also pick the ripe fruit. It's ripe when it turns yellow-green and slightly wrinkled. The sweet, jelly-like pulp around the seeds is edible. Save the seeds for your next sowing.
Safety
- Drowsiness: passionflower can make you drowsy. Don't drive or operate machinery after drinking it.
- Don't combine with alcohol, sleeping pills or sedatives. If you take antidepressants or other medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
- MAO inhibitors and psychedelics: passionflower contains traces of harmala alkaloids. Don't combine it with MAO inhibitors, antidepressants or psychoactive substances.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding: don't use it. Don't give it to children either.
- Only the right species: for tea, only use Passiflora incarnata, never leaves of the blue passionflower.
Common mistakes
- Making tea from the blue passionflower: that's a different species, with cyanide-forming compounds in its leaves. Only use Passiflora incarnata.
- Giving up too soon: Passiflora incarnata sprouts late in spring, sometimes not until June. Don't dig it up just because you see nothing in April.
- Not pre-soaking the seed: without soaking, the seed germinates even more slowly.
- Sowing too cold: below 20 °C passionflower seed barely germinates.
- Wet soil in winter: the roots rot away. Choose a well-drained spot.
- Eating unripe fruit: only eat yellow-green, slightly wrinkled fruit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make tea from the passionflower in your garden?
Only if it's Passiflora incarnata. The blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea), found in most Dutch gardens, isn't suitable for tea.
How long should passionflower tea steep?
Let it steep covered for about 10 minutes, using 1 to 2 grams of dried herb per cup.
Is Passiflora incarnata hardy in the Netherlands?
Yes. The plant dies back above ground in winter, but the roots survive. Mulch the base in autumn and make sure the soil drains well.
Is passionflower fruit edible?
Passiflora incarnata fruit is, once ripe: yellow-green and slightly wrinkled. Ripe, orange blue passionflower fruit is edible but bland, and may still contain traces of the compounds found in the leaves. Don't eat unripe blue passionflower fruit.
Is passionflower legal?
Yes. In the Netherlands passionflower is freely available as an herb, extract and garden plant.
Where can I buy passionflower?
You'll find dried passionflower (Passiflora incarnata, 20 grams) in the smartshop. The passionflower 1:1 extract is in tinctures.
Sources: Wikipedia (NL), Passiebloem, NC State Extension, Passiflora incarnata, Health Canada, Passionflower monograph.
