Pollination

This is when pollen from a flower's anthers is transferred to either the stigma of the same flower, another flower on the same plant, or another plant which can be of the same or a different species. Learn how to do this below and how to preserve pollen for use later here. In the wild, pollination is normally within the same species, & this is how plants evolve, usually with the assistance of pollinators such as bees. If the new species variations from the offspring are more vigorous & better adapted to their environment than the parents, over a long period of time they can take over from them. If they become different enough we may categorise them as a separate Passiflora species. 

It is very rare, but not unknown, to find wild hybrids which are the result of cross-species pollination. Tacsonia will do this more commonly than other Passiflora. In captivity however, when we deliberately transfer pollen, it is usually from a flower of one species or hybrid to a flower of another species or hybrid to create a new hybrid offspring with characteristics of both the parents. Sometimes we can have problems or get unexpected results, see why here. Always grow plenty of species plants as hybrids often have little pollen for their pollinators. Some rare bees are at risk because of this.

  Technique.

The technique is simple. The moment the flower opens, on the plant chosen to be female, snip off the pollen covered anthers. After midday (to ensure it is ripe) transfer pollen from the anthers of the plant chosen to be the male onto the stigma of the female. Pollen transfer should be done with a camel hair brush or similar. I usually use either fingers or snip the anthers off and hold them with tweezers when applying the pollen. You can also bud pollinate - that is carefully snip the top off a flower that is due to open the next day or two and apply the pollen. This may in some cases prevent the flower rejecting the alien pollen.

Always label the flower (plastic tag & waterproof ink!) with the details of the cross. Some people then protect the flower from further pollination by bees by protecting the flower with a small muslin bag or similar. Within a few days if fruit has been successfully set you will see it begin to swell. It may take many months to ripen, always wait until the fruit drops from the plant or comes away by hand without effort, then sow the seed & hope! It is a good idea once the fruit is large enough to gently write both parents' initials on the fruit. Sometimes it is better to dry the seed and sow it the following Spring. See Seed germination.

  Fertilization

Almost all Passiflora flowers have both male and female parts. The male anthers, which produce pollen, & female stigmas, which receive it. The pollen sends out a tube which travels down from the stigma through the style to the ovary. Sperm within the pollen grain makes its way down the tube and fertilizes eggs within the ovary, then the tube destructs. If this process is successful, fruit will be produced which then mature to contain viable & genetically variable seed. For further information on this very complex process see the Pollen section of the site.

  Naming
 
If germination is successful, hybrids that we produce are by convention named with the female plant first e.g. P. alata (f) x  P.caerulea (m) = P. x belotii There are two main reasons to attempt to produce a new hybrid. One is to produce commercial hybrids with improved crop yield, fruit size, hardiness & disease resistance, e.g. P. edulis which has over 15 varieties. The other is to produce hybrids that are decorative & often perfumed, e.g. P. 'Purple Haze' &  P. 'Vlasta'.

P. 'Incense' is an example of an unsuccessful commercial crop hybrid with disappointing fruit, which has been successful because of its appearance & perfume. If you have success, & it is very spectacular, free flowering & distinct from other similar crosses, it may be worth your naming it. Few Passiflora hybrids however have any commercial value & even if they do they are expensive to protect & easy to clone. See Passiflora hybrids.

Patience

Hybridising sounds easy & trying to produce new hybrids is fun, but it can take 3 years from setting fruit to the hybrid flowering so patience is required. In 20 years of growing I have to date named only six hybrids.