Photo Essay Photo Essay

Photographer: Donna Ford-Werntz

Economic: Hybrid Passiflora x 'Incense'

The first artificial hybrid passionflower was bred in 1819. Many new hybrids are created annually as growers try to improve fruit crops or develop novel ornamentals. Nearly all to date have been in subgenus Passiflora, supersection Passiflora, where most species have conspicuous, scented, purple-banded coronas and are pollinated by bees. Passiflora x 'Incense' is an exceptionally beautiful hybrid, but ironically it carries a virus dangerous to other passifloras.