Passiflora anemona | The Italian Collection of Maurizio Vecchia

DESCRIPTION:

 Cor Laurens was one of the most skilled European hybridisers and produced very beautiful crossbreeds. He knows how to combine very different colours and, as we will see in this part of the book, he always manages to obtain something completely new. In addition, the names of his flowers are original and evocative.

 P. 'Anemona' was obtained by hybridising P. actinia with P. caerulea 'Constance Eliott'. The former usually blooms in winter, the latter from late spring to late autumn. Being able to combine the two blooms is not easy: it is necessary, for this purpose, to use preserved pollen.

This plant has trilobate leaves, with wide lobes of a pale colour. The flowers are white with a large and dense corona of  barely marked light and dark bands, which bring to mind those of P. actinia. The flower, however, is more open and more visible, with non-retroflexed petals. It is a robust and lively climber.

 P. 'Anemona' is not widespread, therefore its characteristics are little known, especially its hardiness. I assume it would tolerate short-lived frosts as it comes from two parents, one of which is very hardy (P. caerulea 'Constance Eliott') and the other (P. actinia) is very cold resistant.

This climber is certainly adaptable in open ground on the Ligurian Riviera and along the coastal strips of the great lakes of northern Italy, as well as in central and southern Italy. I am sure that if it spreads more widely on a popular level, we will acquire more information.

Propagation takes place using the cutting method which guarantees rapid results.