A few years ago, one of our gardeners introduced the native passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) into the garden. This plant is fascinating and also a bit of a menace. It seems to really love it in our garden. Thus, it grows very fast and and spreads via root runners underground by several feet every year. But it can be controlled, and the flowers are so unusual and stunning! There is no other plant about which we get more questions and comments than this passion flower.
And boy, do bees love these flowers! In August, we cut back a few passion vines and put the flowers into a vase. Within minutes, half a dozen honeybees buzzed around this bouquet. Unfortunately for the plant, honeybees are too small to pollinate the flowers. They can easily walk to the nectar without ever touching the reproductive parts of the flower.
Carpenter bees love passion flowers, too, and they are big enough to pollinate them (the photo shows a female carpenter bee that was marked by the native bee scientists).
Nevertheless, as far as I know, we still wait to taste a ripe passion fruit from our own vines. They are supposed to be quite delicious and full of vitamins. Maybe next year.