Passiflora misera

Natural range and habitat of Passiflora misera

Passiflora misera is native across Central and tropical South America, where it grows at forest margins and in open clearings.

Growing Passiflora misera at home

• Light and watering: Give the vine bright indoor light and introduce direct sun gradually. Brighter positions can make the compost dry faster, so check its moisture more often after a move.
• Temperature: Keep the plant sheltered from cold and frost. When growth slows, keep it above about 8°C.
• Humidity: Normal room humidity is suitable. A humidifier can help in very dry rooms.
• Support: Train the tendrils onto a trellis. Use soft ties for loose stems and trim the longest shoots if the vine needs to be kept within its space.
• Compost, water and feeding: Use freely draining potting compost in a container with drainage holes. Water thoroughly once the surface is dry, and feed on moist compost while new stems are growing. Feed less often when growth slows.
• Repotting: Repot one size up when roots have formed a tight circle around the rootball.
• Propagation: Soft shoot tips can be rooted in peat-free cutting compost. Keep them warm, in bright filtered light and lightly moist while roots form.

Recognising and treating problems with Passiflora misera

• Leaves wilt sooner after the vine is moved to a brighter position: The pot may be drying faster in the brighter light. Check the compost and water thoroughly if it is dry, then check moisture a little sooner next time.
• Fine pale speckling and fine webbing appear on the leaves: Spider mites are likely. Isolate the vine, inspect the leaf undersides and rinse the foliage; use a treatment labelled for spider mites on ornamental plants if needed, repeating it only as directed on the label.
• White waxy insects hide around nodes or leaf bases: Check for mealybugs. Isolate the plant, remove visible insects and use a treatment labelled for mealybugs on ornamental plants if needed, repeating it only as directed on the label.
• Roots turn dark and soft: These signs can indicate root rot. Cut damaged roots back to firm healthy tissue with a clean tool, discard all rotten material and repot in fresh, freely draining potting mix.

Keep Passiflora misera away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

What does Passiflora misera mean, and who first published it?

Passiflora combines Latin passio, referring to the Passion of Christ, and flos, “flower”. Misera is Latin for “poor”, “wretched” or “meagre”.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Passiflora in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 955.

Karl Sigismund Kunth first described Passiflora misera in 1817 in Nova Genera et Species Plantarum, volume 2, page 136.