Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

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

Also called maypop, purple passionflower, wild apricot.

More about passiflora incarnata

About Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora incarnata · also called maypop, purple passionflower · flowering

Passiflora incarnata, the maypop, is a hardy herbaceous perennial vine native to the southeastern United States. It bears intricate lavender-and-white fringed flowers in summer followed by egg-shaped edible fruit. Dying back to the ground in winter and regrowing from the root, it is the most cold-tolerant passionflower and spreads readily by suckers.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter) · RHS H4 (-15 to 30°C)

Watch for — Winter dieback uncertainty: Tops are killed by frost and the plant is slow to reappear in spring; mark its position and mulch the crown so it is not disturbed before it resprouts.

What passiflora incarnata's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — passiflora incarnata is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H4 means: Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world. On the US scale that maps to USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter) — 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 to −5 °C. Passiflora incarnata is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for passiflora incarnata as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can passiflora incarnata go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter) and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

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 incarnata can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Passiflora incarnata hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is passiflora incarnata cold hardy?

Yes — passiflora incarnata is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Passiflora incarnata is hardy across USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter); it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature passiflora incarnata can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −10 to −5 °C. Passiflora incarnata is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is passiflora incarnata?

Passiflora incarnata is rated USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter) and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can passiflora incarnata survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 (root-hardy; tops die back in winter) and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to passiflora incarnata below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.