Sightings of plant pest called for in assessment

Hawke's Bay Regional Council is on the hunt for Blue passion flower (Passiflora caerulea).

This is an invasive plant that is not widespread in Hawke's Bay and HBRC would like to assess its distribution in the region.

The HBRC's biosecurity plant pest team knows of Blue passion flower plants growing in Taradale west and in Clive, and would like to hear from people who spot any Blue passion flower plants outside of these areas.

Blue passion flower is a large, vigorous, scrambling evergreen perennial vine, which can climb up to 12 to 20 metres. It can smother and kill desirable shrubs and trees.

Blue passion flower looks very like banana passionfruit, but has smaller five-lobed leaves and white flowers with a ring of purple filaments.

The fruit is an oval orange-yellow berry 6cm long by 4cm in diameter, containing numerous seeds. The seeds are distributed mainly by birds.

This weed can be controlled by hand-pulling the plant and removing the roots, or by cutting the base at ground level and poisoning the stump.

What is it?

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  Blue passion flower is a large perennial vine, which can climb up to 12 to 20 metres.
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  It can smother and kill desirable shrubs and trees.
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  It looks similar to banana passionfruit.