Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Passiflora alata (Passiflora alata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called winged-stem passionflower, fragrant granadilla.

More about passiflora alata

About Passiflora alata

Passiflora alata · also called winged-stem passionflower, fragrant granadilla · tropical

Passiflora alata, the winged-stem passionflower, is a vigorous evergreen tropical vine from South America with conspicuously four-angled (winged) stems. It bears large, intensely fragrant crimson-and-purple flowers and edible orange fruit. Frost-tender and heat-loving, it is grown outdoors in tropical climates and as a heated-greenhouse or conservatory specimen elsewhere.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; heated glass in cooler zones) · RHS H1b (16 to 30°C)

Watch for — Cold sensitivity: Very frost-tender — needs minimum temperatures around 10-13°C; sudden chills cause leaf drop or dieback, so overwinter in a warm, heated space.

What passiflora alata's hardiness rating actually means

Passiflora alata is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; heated glass in cooler zones) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Passiflora alata has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for passiflora alata as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can passiflora alata go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when passiflora alata can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Passiflora alata hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is passiflora alata cold hardy?

Passiflora alata is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Passiflora alata can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; heated glass in cooler zones)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature passiflora alata can survive?

What hardiness zone is passiflora alata?

Passiflora alata is rated USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; heated glass in cooler zones) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can passiflora alata survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to passiflora alata below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.