Passiflora score at the SF Arborteum.
-Shawn
The following thread was started by Shawn on March 05, 2005 at 10:07 pm PST
Shawn
Aaron in SF is the antio expert, but it seems that the Strybing strain of antio is extremely shade-loving. It will grow away from any sun and into full shade, so you probably want to keep that in mind as you figure out your location. It is literally the most shade-avoiding plant I've ever seen. Mine (received from Aaron) is in a pot where it gets brief morning sun for a few hours--- but even that was too much. It ran from the sun and disappeared into the shade of a very dense hedge interior. Not all antio strains have this characteristic, though. Plants in New Zealand, and plants grown from their seed, lack this trait--- and thus seem to be an easier choice for some locations as a result.
Again, I've only got 2 antio plants (Strybing & NZ) in pots, so I'm not an authority on this-- but it seems to be true based on observations of several others as well. I'm likely to have fresh antio seed from NZ later this month.
Tom A.
The above followup was added by Tom A. on March 06, 2005 at 1:39 pm PST.
shawn - congratulations. it always feels great to finally get plants you have been searching for. tom's description is pretty good, i would add that the p. antioquiensis luvs water. lots and lots and lots of water. i often use a mister to water the antio in the morning. give it a good long shower. if you are not sure of the perfect spot, put it in a nice pot that you can bury, and ddig up and move around. wherever you plant it be sure to use a soil mix that drains very very good. and make sure you put it in a well protected spot, and let it grow into the sun.
strybing always has neat and rare passiflora at the plant sales. plants as popular as p.antioquiensis are always in demand. grassy knoll exotics use to sell antio cuttings mailorder. and antio seeds are available out of new zeland from nestlebrae exotics.
~aaron
The above followup was added by Aaron on March 06, 2005 at 3:14 pm PST.
I have an antioquiensis that I bought from Strybing several years ago. I had the perfect shady spot for it, watched as it grew to flowering and fruiting size, and eagerly awaited my first blossoms, last year. The trouble is, it turned out not to be an antioquiensis. OK, maybe it had some antio in it, but the thing is basically a mollissima. A friend of mine who volunteers at Strybing heard this story, smiled, and said that this happened with a batch of antios that were sold there that year. At the sale last weekend, I talked to the Passiflora guy about it and, as we were talking, he noted that one of the plants there was obviously mismarked, you could tell from the leaves alone.
None of this means that you DON'T have what you think you have, but you might not! Anyway, these vines have a fruiting life of about 5 years anyway, so I can just give it 4 more years and try again! In the meantime, my housemate LOVES the pink flowers and the fruit my ripen next year, even though it's really too shady for a mollissima. It's the luck of the botanical draw.
The above followup was added by Richard in SF on March 06, 2005 at 10:54 pm PST.
richard - its true, sometimes you get funky stuff from strybing. sometimes missed labeled, sometimes sick plants. but that is true throughout the nursery industry. you have to be selective in your choice of plants and know what you are looking for. i gave them 100's of cuttings and seeds from my antio so i know for the past 2 years (or so) they were selling genuine antioquiensis. well, at least some of them were antios : ) well, they had genuine antio "on hand" if nothing else!! : ) over the years i have heard from many people geting a p.exoensis instead of an antio from them.
an antio plant can live for alot longer then 4 years! i had one cutting that took 4 seasons to bloom! some seed grown plants in my garden have had the first flower in 2 seasons. i had one this winter that was about 4 years old and nice and big drop dead. another is a good 8 years old. sometimes the tacsonias can get really old with thick trunks. or sometimes they die young.
The above followup was added by Aaron on March 09, 2005 at 8:16 am PST.
Shawn, did they have any Passiflora parritae at the S.A. plant sale, by any chance?
The above followup was added by Steve in Brookings on March 09, 2005 at 8:58 pm PST.
Thanks, Aaron. I'll have to try again and hope for one of your antios -- even and exionensis would be good! Richard
The above followup was added by Richard in SF on March 09, 2005 at 9:54 pm PST.
Steve,
I did not notice the plant you mentioned, but then again I was not looking for it nor am I familiar with it.
Richard,
I bought a P. exoniensis at the sale, basically because I knew it was rare, but know I am thinking I will have too many vines for my little garden. If you are really interested in one I would be happy to pass it on to you for what I paid, $15. I will be at the CRFG meeting in Richmond on Saturday. If you are going to be there I could bring it and hand it off. Let me know.
Thanks,
Shawn
The above followup was added by Shawn on March 10, 2005 at 10:08 pm PST.
Shawn, check out the link below for the 411 on P. parritae. I think S.A. is probably the sole source for this rare beauty.
The above followup was added by Steve in Brookings on March 12, 2005 at 5:50 pm PST.