Raise your hand if you’ve grown the Southeast native perennial, piriqueta. Piriqueta caroliniana is a little-known Southeast US native that hails from NC, south to Florida. Botanically, it’s a member of the Turneraceae family, after being unceremoniously booted from its previous home in the passiflora family, Passifloraceae. We had never heard of the genus before Patrick introduced us a couple of years ago.
So far, our plant is thriving in our dry alpine garden, where it shares a bed with agaves and other desert denizens. For us, flowering begins in mid-summer, although in more southern climates, it reportedly flowers almost year round. For us, the flower open around lunchtime, and close by 5pm. We’re still testing its winter hardiness, but it sailed through this winter’s 11 degrees F, with no problems.
