Maypop is a North American passionflower that is cold-tolerant. It makes
an edible fruit that has long been eaten by native Americans and rural populations in the southerneastern US. In Louisiana it is sometimes referred to as
pomegranate vine. It has a vine growth form that is known for being
weedy, and some consider Passiflora incarnata invasive. I've had to pull runners up all summer to keep it from growing over my
other plants. I'll know next year if I have a source of fruit juice and
leaf cover to cool my porch, or if I have a weedy monster I can't
control. It does die back completely in the fall though. It does not leave behind a woody vine that persists through the winter. The fruits just needs to be scooped out, squeezed or pressed
against the sides of water-filled pitcher to extract the juice, then chill.
