ABSTRACT
Maypop is one of the few species of Passiflora native to the United States, occurring from Iowa to New Jersey, south to Florida and Texas. It also is native to Bermuda. The Maypop is a common roadside weed throughout many areas of the southeastern United States, often growing in large masses in ditches and open fields. Maypop is a fast-growing, perennial vine with stems 3-6 m (10-20 feet) long, but only half this length in the northern areas of its range. It climbs over vegetation using tendrils for attachment, or simply trails on the ground. Maypop was once a favorite wild fruit, harvested by Native Americans and settlers in the southern United States. Maypop is not a commercial passion fruit, but its fruits can be used in the same way. The fruit usually has delicious pulp, but is seedy and best made into jelly. Overripe fruit ferments into a foul paste.
