Passiflora Incense Virus

Sure, Antoinette. I'm glad I could help, but I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Did you purchase five P. Incense vines? It's good that the one that is showing it is isolated. That is a tough call you have to make.

Byron Martin from Logee's sent me a return email the other day. Here is what wrote to me:

"The hybrid Incense is in fact infected with a virus as are many of the Passiflora hybrids grown commercially. We have been growing this cultivar for many years and from time to time is showing the mottling in the leaves. Unfortunately, it is true that this does reduce the vigor of the plant. The problem is that once plants are cleaned up from viruses and placed back into the outside environment they will in time get reinfected. The process of cleaning them up is extensive and costly and only used on plants of high economic value of which passion flowers are not in that group. Once a plant is clean a mother plant is kept in an isolated environment to maintain a virus free integrity. There was some work done in Germany some years back where they cleaned up some of the Brugmansia or Angel Trumpets which are often infected with viruses. Once the plants were placed outside in the open environment they became reinfected within three months. I don't know the clone Allspice however we have just received another hybrid of the same parents as Incense that is supposed to be virus free called Inspiration. It will take some time to evaluate it but hopeful within a year we will be selling it.

As for your plant what to do with it? I would enjoy it and not worry about your other plants in your collection for if they are older cultivars they most certainly have been exposed to viruses. If you want to take precautions make sure you disinfect your cutting utensils between varieties when pruning. It's always beneficial to have virus free plant material and much of the high volume annual and crop material in contemporary horticulture is clean but if we're to grow the multitude of unusual and exotic plant found in the world we'll at the present time have to live with the reality of viruses in our plants. Indecently, some plants when infected with viruses are killed. Example of this are the New Guinea Impatiens which when infected go into a decline and die. Other like the passionflower show the symptoms yet have been growing with the viruses for years. The bad new is that we don't get to experience the full vigor of the plants we grow.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions let me know.

Best Regards,
Byron Martin
Logee's Greenhouses"

He seems to indicate that other vines, if they are mature, can be subjected to it and not contract it so that's good for your other Passifloras. P. Incense just seems prone to it.

Edited to fix spelling.




This message was edited Apr 14, 2004 11:47 AM

Well, I've got it too!!! It's on three of the leaves, the larger three, so I'm assuming it will spread. Logee's has been great though. She said I was the only one who called about it and reported it, but she set me up with two P. incarnata's which are much hardier up here anyway so I'll be ok. I will mourn the loss and prepare for the new. Oh well, Mere

Hi Mere, so sorry about that. You have big bloches of yellow on your green leaves? That was good of Logee's to replace it with two other Passifloras. They have excellent customer service.

Yes, I got five of them, three last year and two this year, the rats ate them down to the nubs, so those pieces I rooted (and they rooted too), now those that rooted don't show the spots yet. But the ones from last year already show spots and the two this year show spots. It is weird that the ones that I rooted dont' show anything. I have not pulled them out yet, guess this weekend it will be clean up time.

Antoinette, the ones you rooted will probably show spots eventually. Mine didn't show any sign of the virus the first year I had it. I feel bad for you because I know how painful it was for me to destroy my vine, but it helped me to know that I was protecting my other Passifloras by doing so. I'm sending a big hug your way!

On a happy note, you sent me three different canna seeds in a trade last year: red stripe, Robert Kemp, and a third one which I can remember now -- I think it is "Intrigue." Anyway, Robert Kemp is starting to bloom. I'm very excited. I'll post a picture when it does.

How's your C. limbata doing? Mine is still cranking out flowers and seeds!

All my cannas froze down, but they are coming up like gang busters, no blooms yet. The first seeds on my limbata froze last year, so, I am hoping this year to get some. Although it is multiplying really well anyway. It is drizzling here right now. Just got back from HD and they had a nice size Epi so I got it.. and a couple of other hanging type cactus (something that looks like the christmas cactus but the blooms look like a star) and another one that I have no idea what it is, but looks like another type of epi. We only went for a door that needed replacing, but ......

Have you rooted Vitifolia? I tried some cuttings in rockwool and they all rotted. Gotta try something else. And does vitifolia overwinter here in CA? I have mine in the five gallon pots they came in and they are doing fine, so maybe I should leave them in there this year and overwinter them in pots.

Antoinette, you definitely should get some limbata seeds this year since your plant is multiplying. If not, let me know.

I heard it might rain today.

It's called Easter Cactus: http://plantsdatabase.com/go/54384/index.html

LOL, I know how that goes. I'm trying to be restrained this summer. Epi's are special though.

I've never had or rooted Vitifolia. I've decided to keep my Passiflora collection to only fragrant Passifloras. The database says you can grow it from zone 7 through zone 10:
http://plantsdatabase.com/go/1195/index.html

This message was edited Feb 29, 2008 6:17 PM

Well, the drizzle turned into a light rain for about two hours. Which we needed badly here.

Thank you for the link, it is an Easter Cactus Phipsalidopis gaertneri. It is full of blooms so here's hoping it does it's thing soon..lol.

I hung all of my epi's under this tree and they have been there about a month. No roofrat activity yet, guess they haven't found them yet, and they have grown some, some got a couple of buds (only three) which I am grateful for. The the chain stores very rarely carry the epis so that is why I got it.

My mollisima seedling dried up in one day, transplanted it, had it under a plastic cup, then removed it a few days later. Today it was dried up.

It just got real windy and is starting to look gray. We need it to rain here too. Everything is so dry.

Great picture. Is that a eucalyptus tree? It almost looks like a silver dollar eucalyptus tree. I have my epi's in the exact same set up only they are hanging on hooks on the patio. Yours look great!

I'm sorry about your Mollissima seedling. I've just been able to root some P. Mollissima cuttings, but I've already promised them to someone, but I can start a couple more for you. Send me an email and let me know.

Oh Clare you are so sweet.. I have sooooo much going already that won't take you up on your offer. Barely can keep up with the ones that are making it. Think I will put two or three to a container too.

That is a Eucalyptus and there is one on the opposite side of that one on the other side of the house. They got so tall and big that the Santa Ana winds occasionally break down the branches, I have lots of little sticks and twigs to rake all year long. The neighbors had a huge arm off theirs break off and I could hear the rip/roar of it and just happened to be looking that way that day.. scarey stuff.. I just hope I am not under those two trees here in my yard when that happens..lol.. But, I do love the shade they provide.

No problem, Antoinette. If you change your mind and want a P. Mollissima cutting, just let me know. I know exactly what you mean about having a lot going. Are you putting two or three Passifloras in one container? That's a great idea but make sure it's a large container!

Thanks for the info about the Eucalyptus. I put two Eucalyptus polyanthemos in the ground here. I just love the juvenile branches. Too bad they don't stay that way!

One more question. The Caureula (sp), leaves are turning yellow (is that normal or is it the same virus?), the incense and this one are not close to each other at all, they are at least 1000 feet away. Do the leaves start to turn yellow on these plants ever? This is the first time this one blooms and I just don't know what to expect from them. I may have to get rid of this one too, although we have moles now, on top of everything else, they are making holes all over the yard and I found a gopher mound right next to the caureula (it's in the ground).. I will probably kill it if I move it now, it has almost reached over to the other side of the arbor.

I only have one passi per container, but thought they would look nice twined together. Thanks alot for your help. A

Antoinette, I don't actually have P. Caerulea, but my P. Belotti (P. x Alatocaerulea) is shedding some leaves and growing new ones. A few of my other Passifloras shed leaves now and then, and they do turn yellow before they fall off. This is not the virus. The virus shows mosaic patterns or yellow blotches on otherwise healthy-looking leaves. I think it is pretty hard to kill Caerulea if you want to try to dig it up, but if you don't get all the roots, you have to cut it back by some. I don't think gophers will bother the vine at all undergrown, but I could be wrong about that.

Hi Antoinette,

How are your Passifloras doing?

One of your cannas that I started from seeds you sent me bloomed today. Do you recognize this one? I think it is Robert Kemp or Intrigue, but I am not sure.

Further up in this thread I posted how my P. Incense looked as it started regrowing from the winter. It looked as if it had virus. Either it didn't or if it did, the virus isn't bothering it much. Here's how it looks today. Hasn't slowed down its flowering.

Here is another pic of more of the vine.

Hi Judy, in this thread above, I stated that it looked like CMV, but now, looking again, I don't see the golden blotches on yours like I had on mine. I do see some irregularities on your first picture, but your second and third pictures don't show those irregularities. It is possible that your vine has not shown the virus yet. My leaves had large golden blotches, which is consistent with the CMV.

It doesn't have to EVER show the virus to please me. ;-) I've not found any other Passies that suit me as well as Incense. It has everything, tolerates my climate, blooms lots and lots, smells delightful, colorful blooms, pretty foliage, and I hope it keeps its virus to itself.

I hope so as well, Judy. But, just in case, don't despair because there is a new P. Incense out called "Allspice," and Logee's is getting a new P. Incense called "Inspiration." These two supposedly have the same parents as the original "Incense" without the virus. I've never tried "Elizabeth," but that one is supposed to have it all as well.

This is Allspice