Blue Passionflower | 20 Seeds

CLASSIFICATION: Passiflora caerulea (Heirloom) GEOMETRY: Radial Symmetry | Coronal Filaments HEIGHT: 30+ Feet (Vining) ROLE: The Exotic Climber

Most flowers are content to be pretty. The Passionflower aims to be mechanically complex.

A rare inclusion in our archive, this vine produces blooms of such intricate radial symmetry that they appear to be engineered rather than grown. The architecture of the flower is startling: a base of ten white tepals crowned by a fringe of blue, white, and purple filaments, looking less like a botanical specimen and more like a clockwork mechanism or a sacred mandala.

It is aggressive, exotic, and architectural. A vigorous climber reaching up to 30 feet, it functions as a "living cloak," rapidly covering fences and arbors with a dense, complex screen of foliage and alien blooms.

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THE CURATOR'S NOTES

• The Geometric Miracle: The bloom structure is historically significant (often used in theology to represent the Passion), but to the secular eye, it is simply a masterpiece of biological design. It demands close inspection; do not plant it where it cannot be admired from inches away.
• The Secondary Reward: After the spectacle of the bloom concludes, the vine produces small, egg-shaped orange fruits. They are edible, though most connoisseurs find them too beautiful to consume.
• Ecological Infrastructure: This vine is not just decoration; it is a nursery. It serves as the essential host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly. If you plant this, you are effectively building a butterfly factory.
• The Barrier to Entry: Critical. This seed possesses a coat as hard as armor. Germination is a test of will, taking weeks or even months. To succeed, you must scarify (nick) the seed coat with a file or clippers before planting. If you are gentle, you will fail.