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Passiflora (i. e., passion flower). Including Disemma and Tacsonia.
Passifloraceae. PassionFlower. Highly interesting herbs, shrubs, or
trees, most of the cultivated kinds climbing by means of tendrils,
with flowers of odd structure; some of them produce edible fruits.
Mostly vines, but some species erect: lvs. alternate, rarely
opposite, the petiole usually gland-bearing, the blade entire,
digitately lobed or parted, stipules sometimes present: tendrils
(sometimes wanting) lateral, simple: fls. solitary or racemose,
mostly axillary, on articulated and often 3-bracted peduncles, mostly
hermaphrodite, with colors in yellow, green, blue and red, often
large and showy; calyx with short tube (also with long tube when
Tacsonia is included), the lobes or petals 4 or 5 and narrow, often
colored inside, bearing on the throat a simple double or triple showy
fringe or crown; petals 4 or 5 (sometimes wanting, or 3), attached on
the calyx-throat; stamens 4 or 5, the filaments joined into a tube in
which is the gynophore or stalk of the ovary, the anthers
linear-oblong and versatile; ovary oblong or nearly globular, with 3
styles and 3 many-ovuled parietal placentae: fr. large or small,
berry-like, many-seeded, oblong or globular; seeds flat, mostly
ovate, with a fleshy aril.—Species probably 250-300. By some, the
genus Tacsonia is separated from Passiflora, but it is here combined;
it differs in having an elongated rather than very short calyx-tube
or hypanthium; Andean species. See Tacsonia.
With the exception of a few Malayan, Chinese and Australian species,
the true passifloras are natives of tropical America, some of them in
the subtropical and warm temperate parts. Many of them are cultivated
as curiosities, and some of them for the beauty of their flowers and
for their festooning foliage. The fruit is of many kinds, in most
cases not edible. The ovary is
supported on a long stalk, which is inclosed in or usually united
with the tube formed by the union of the bases of the filaments. The
structure of the fruit is well shown in Fig. 2768; the remains of the
floral envelopes have broken from the attachment on the torus and
rest on the fruit. A dozen passifloras occur in the United States,
and one of them, P. lutea, grows naturally as far north as southern
Pennsylvania and Illinois. From Virginia south, the Maypop, P.
incarnata, is a very common plant in fields and waste places. Both
these species are herbaceous perennials.
In cultivation, the passifloras have been considerably hybridized,
and they are also confused with Tacsonia. In 1871 Masters enumerated
184 species (Trans. Linn. Soc. 27), but many species have been
discovered since that time. Most of the passion-flowers are yellow or
green in color of envelopes, but there are fine reds in P. racemosa,
P. Raddiana,P. coccinea, P. alata,P. vitifolia, and others. The
species known to gardeners are few, although many kinds are or have
been in cultivation by fanciers and in collections. They usually
require much rafter room in greenhouses. According to G. W. Oliver,
P. caerulea and Constance Elliott are both hardy at Washington. Not
many of the tender species and hybrids are grown to any great extent
in this country. P. alata and P. quadrangularis are desirable
climbers for a roomy warm greenhouse. P. quadrangularis var.
variegata seems to flower quite as freely as the green- leaved one.
Passifloras are propagated from cuttings of the half-ripened growth,
with bottom heat. P. racemosa and P. Loudonii are a trifle difficult
to root from cuttings; the growths should be as ripe as possible for
this purpose. Keep the under surface of the leaves flat on the sand
while rooting. The native P. incarnata grows very freely at
Washington, becoming more or less of a weed and hard to eradicate.
The peculiar charm of these plants lies in the odd flowers, the parts
of which were fancied by the early Spanish and Italian travelers to
represent the implements of the crucifixion (whence both the
technical and popular names). Legend and superstition have attached
to these plants from the first. The ten colored parts of the floral
envelope were thought to represent the ten apostles present at the
crucifixion, Peter and Judas being absent. Inside the corolla is a
showy crown or corona of colored filaments or fringes, taken to
represent the crown of thorns, or by some thought to be emblematic of
the halo. The stamens are five, to some suggestive of the five
wounds, by others thought to be emblematic of the hammers which were
used to drive the three nails, the latter being represented by the
three styles with capitate stigmas. The long axillary coiling
tendrils represent the cords or the scourges. The digitate leaves
suggest the hands of the persecutors. The following sketch of the
passion-flower legend is from Folkard's "Plant Lore, Legends and
Lyrics," and the illustration (Fig. 2769) is also produced from that
book: "The passion-flower (Passiflora caerulea) is a wild flower of
the South American forests, and it is said that the Spaniards, when
they first saw the lovely bloom of this plant, as it hung in rich
festoons from the branches of the forest trees, regarded the
magnificent blossom as a token that the Indians should be converted
to Christianity, as they saw in its several parts the emblems of the
passion of our Lord. In the year 1610, Jacomo Bosio, the author of an
exhaustive treatise on the Cross of Calvary, was busily engaged on
this work when there arrived in Rome an Augustmian friar, named
Emmanuel de Villegas, a Mexican by birth. He brought with him, and
showed to Bosio, the drawing of a flower so stupenduously marvelous,'
that he hesitated making any mention of it in his book. However, some
other drawings and descriptions were sent to him by inhabitants of
New Spam, and certain Mexican Jesuits, sojourning at Rome, confirmed
all the astonishing reports of this floral marvel; moreover, some
Dominicans at Bologna engraved and published a drawing of it,
accompanied by poems and descriptive essays. Bosio therefore
conceived it to be his duty to present the Flos Passionis to the
world as the most wondrous example of the Croce trionfante discovered
in forest or field. The flower represente, he tells us, not so
directly the Cross of our Lord, as the past mysteries of the Passion.
It is a native of the Indies, of Peru, and of New Spain, where the
Spaniards call it 'the Flower of the Five Wounds," and it had clearly
been designed by the great Creator that it might, in due time, assist
in the conversion of the heathen among whom it grows. Alluding to the
bell-like shape assumed by the flower during the greater part of its
existence (i.e., whilst it is expanding and fading),Bosio remarks:
'And it may well be that, in His infinite wisdom, it pleased Him to
create it thus shut up and protected, as though to indicate that the
wonderful mysteries of the Cross and of His Passion were to remain
hidden from the heathen people of those countries until the time
preordained by His Highest Majesty.' The figure given to the
Passionflower in Bosio's work shows the crown of thorns twisted and
plaited, the three nails, and the column of the flagellation just as
they appear on ecclesiastical banners, etc. 'The upper petals,'
writes Bosio in his description, 'are tawny in Peru, but in New Spain
they are white, tinged with rose. The filaments above resemble a
blood-coloured fringe, as though suggesting the scourge with which
our blessed Lord was tormented. The column rises in the middle. The
nails are above it; the crown of thorns encircles the column; and
close in the center of the flower from which the column rises is a
portion of a yellow colour, about the size of a reale, in which arc
five spots or stains of the hue of blood, evidently setting forth the
five wounds received by our Lord on the Cross. The colour of the
column, the crown, and the nails is a clear green. The crown itself
is surrounded by a kind of veil, or very fine hair, of a violet
colour, the filaments of which number seventy-two, answering to the
number of thorns with which, according to tradition, our Lord's crown
was set; and the leaves of the plant, abundant and beautiful, are
shaped like the head of a lance or pike, referring, no doubt, to that
which pierced the side of our Savior, whilst they are marked beneath
with round spots, signifying the thirty pieces of silver.' "
Passifloras as gardener's ornamental plants.
(J. J. M. Farrell.)
These plants constitute a large family or group of evergreen
climbers. They will show to best advantage when they can be planted
out permanently in a warm conservatory and where they can have
comparatively large space to climb. They may also be grown in pots
when the conditions do not permit other methods of handling.
Passifloras may be propagated either by cuttings or seeds. They may
be rooted from young growth taken any time from the middle of January
until April. These cuttings are placed in a warm propagating-bed, and
kept shaded and moist, and in a short tune they will root; they are
also inserted in small pots in a mixture of loam, peat, and sand, in
equal parts, and plunged in the propagating-bed. When rooted, the
cuttings are potted off, using a compost of loam four parts, leaf-
mold two parts, well-rotted cow-manure one part, and which should
contain enough sand to keep it porous. Keep shaded until they become
well established, when they may be given a place well up to the glass
in full sun. The passifloras are also readily raised from seed sown
in spring, and the plants potted off as soon as big enough.
The plants will stand a night temperature of 65° to 70°: this can be
increased until it reaches 80° to 85° for a day temperature with sun.
Give ventilation daily, taking into account the state of the weather;
while they like plenty of heat, they will not do well in a stagnant
atmosphere; therefore, give air on all favorable occasions. Every
morning in bright weather, give them a good syringing, as this is a
great aid in keeping them in vigor and supplying the desired
atmospheric moisture, but this does not mean a very humid atmosphere.
By pinching, the plants are made to produce several growths. These
plants can be shifted until they are in 10- or 12-inch pots. The
growth may be trained on pillars or along rafters of the
conservatory.
When planted out in about 8 or 10 inches of soil, passifloras will
cover a very large space, but sometimes to such an extent as to
obscure the whole glass. The best place is on a back wall in some
house where they may ramble at will. Keep well syringed until they
show flower, when syringing should be discontinued until they are
through blooming. After the plants have covered the position allotted
to them, all that is required is the regulation of the young growth,
so as to keep them from becoming entangled. In winter they may be cut
back and the exhausted soil replaced by good rich compost. They will
not need a high temperature, doing well in 55° to 60° at night. When
they start off into growth again, keep raising the temperature until
it has reached the figures already stated. They may now be given
manure water regularly and throughout the growing season. Keep down
thrip, red-spider, and mealy-bug by syringing and sponging.
The edible-fruited passifloras. (F. W. Popenoe.)
The principal species of Passiflora that are cultivated for their
fruits in tropical and subtropical regions are P. quadrangularis, the
granadilla, granadilla real of Costa Rica, barbadine of the French
colonies, pasion- aria of Cuba, maracuja melao of Brazil; P. edulis,
also called granadilla, as well as passion-fruit; and P. laurifolia,
the water-lemon of the British West Indies, pomme-liane of the French
colonies. While P. quad-rangularis is a common garden plant in
tropical America, it is not so extensively grown in any region as is
P. edulis in Australia. In the United States these species can be
grown only in the warmest regions; in California P. edulis is the
only one that is successfully cultivated in the open, the other two
species being much more susceptible to frost; in south Florida all
three can be grown, although the tropical species are sometimes
injured by frost.
The true granadilla (P. quadrangularis) is a strong rapid-growing
climber, frequently planted for ornament in tropical regions and
allowed to cover arbors and pergolas. Its brownish yellow ovoid
fruits are sometimes 8 inches in length, and within the thin brittle
pericarp is a large number of small flattened seeds surrounded by
gelatinous pulp and subacid juice. When green, they are sometimes
boiled and used as a vegetable; when ripe, the acidulous pulp is
refreshing, and is used to prepare cooling drinks, or is eaten with a
spoon directly from the fruit.
The passion-fruit (P. edulis) is considerably smaller than the
granadilla, rarely larger than a hen's egg, and dull purple when
ripe. Its pulp is slightly more acid than that of the granadilla, but
of very pleasant flavor, and highly esteemed in Queensland and New
South Wales, where the plant is cultivated commercially. It is used
for flavoring sherbets, for confectionery, for icing cakes, for
"trifles,"—a dish composed of sponge cake, fruits, cream, and white
of egg,—for jams, and for other table purposes. The pulp is also
eaten directly from the fruit, after adding a little sugar, or is
used to prepare a refreshing drink, by beating it up in a glass of
ice-water and adding a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. The plants are
grown on trellises about 6 feet high; at the top of the trellis is
nailed a crosspiece 18 inches long, from the ends of which are run
two wires, the long branches being allowed to hang down over these to
the ground. The rows are placed 15 feet apart, with the vines 15 feet
apart in the row_. The young plants must be protected in regions
subject to frost: they begin bearing the second year, sometimes
producing a few fruits the first season, and continue in profitable
production four to six years, when they must be renewed. By proper
pruning, two crops a year can be secured, in regions not subject to
frost. The most suitable soil seems to be sandy loam, although other
soils will grow the plant successfully. Manure should be supplied
liberally. In Australia, the profits of passion-fruit culture are
reported to run from $100 to $300 an acre annually. Because of the
short life of the vines, they are often planted as a catch-crop in
young orchards which have not yet come into bearing. Like P. quad-
rangularis, this species is often grown as an ornamental plant, and
makes an excellent and rapid-growing cover for fences and trellises.
The passifloras are easily propagated by seeds or cuttings, the
latter method being preferable in most cases. Seeds should be removed
from the fruit, dried in a shady place, and planted in flats of light
soil. They do not germinate very quickly, but the young plants are
easily raised, and may be set out in the open ground when six months
to a year old. Cuttings should be taken from fairly well-matured
shoots, and should be about 6 inches in length. They are easily
rooted in sand, no bottom heat being required. Cuttings of P. edulis
will often fruit in pots at the age of one to two years, and form
very interesting greenhouse plants. While this species usually fruits
prolifically, P. quad- rangularis sometimes requires hand-pollination
when grown outside its native habitat.
INDEX
adenophylla, 22. ignea, 30. Parritae, 25.
adenopoda, 2. incarnata, 18. phaenicea, 12.
alata, 12. insignis, 26. princeps, 8.
alba, 21, 24. Jamesonii, 28. pruinosa, 20.
amabilis, 8, 14. kermesina, 9.
quadrangularis, 11.
atomaria, 21. latifolia, 12. racemosa, 8.
aucubi folia, 11. laurifolia, 15. Raddiana, 9.
brasiliana, 12. Lawsoniana, 12. sanguinea, 17.
Buchananii, 17. ligularis, 7. Smythiana. 33.
caerulea, 24. Loudonii, 9. tinifolia, 15.
coocinea, 16. Lowei, 7. trifasciata,
4.
Decaisneana, 13. lutea, 5. tubi flora,
32.
edulis, 19. maculifolia, 6. Van Volxemii,
27.
eriantha, 31. manicata, 30. variegata, 11.
exoniensis, 29. mascarensis, 12. velutina, 16.
fulgens, 16. mauritiana, 12. violacea, 23.
gracilis. 1. mixta, 31. vitifolia,
17.grandiflora,24 mollissima, 32. Watsoniana, 10.
Hahnii, 3. oviformis, 12.
P. alato-caerulea (P. Pfordtii, Hort.) is a hybrid from seed of P.
alata by pollen of P. caerulea: lvs. much like those of P. alata,
3-lobed: fls. fragrant, beautiful; sepals white; petals pink; corona
of 3 series, the outer filaments being white at tip, blue-purple in
the middle, and black-purple at the base. B.R. 848. R.H. 1847:121.—
P. albo-nigra, Hort. Said to be a hybrid of P.alata and P.Raddiana:
lvs.5-lobed: petals white:corona white above and blackish purple
below. Gt. 1:68.—P. Allardii, Hort.=P. quadrangularis X P. caerulea
Constance Elliott, raised by Mr. Allard of the Botanic Garden,
Cambridge, England: lvs. usually with 3 broad lobes: free-flowering;
petals white shaded pink; corona deep cobalt-blue.— P. ambigua,
Hemsl. Possibly a hybrid of P. laurifolia and P. maliformis: fls.
more than double the size of P. laurifolia (5 in. diam., pink and
purple): petiole biglandular in middle: lf.-blades attenuate at base;
stipules linear. Nicaraugua. B.M. 7822. G.C. 111.31:171.—P.
atropurpurea, Hort. Hybrid: has foliage of P. racemosa, but infl. and
fl. in general shape more like P. Raddiana: fls. about 3 in. diam.,
tube less than 1/2.in. long; sepals deeply keeled, reddish violet or
prune-colored; petals about length of sepals, dark blood-red; outer
corona violet spotted white, the filaments or threads half the length
of the petals; inner corona shorter, violet, each thread enlarged at
top. G. 26:495.—P. Bellottii, Hort. Sepals flesh-colored; petals
rose; corona blue. Thought to be a hybrid of French origin, having
been received in England about 1847.—P. Bournapartea, Hort., hybrid
of P. alata and P. quadrangularis, "possessing the sweet-scented and
richly colored fls. of the former with the handsome foliage of the
latter:" blooms freely when young: fls. solitary in the axils,
reddish crimson, the corona of rich red, white, and blue filaments.
J.H. III. 51:253.— P. capsularis, Linn. Tall slender pubescent
climber with red tendrils: lvs. with 2 lunate ovate-oblong lobes:
fls. solitary, 2 in. across, rose-red; calyx-tube 1/2in. long,
cylindric, the sepals narrowly linear-oblong and obtuse; petals
narrower and paler: outer corona much shorter than petals, white;
inner corona, short and incurved, white; ovary hairy. Brazil. B.M.
7751 (not 2868, which is P. rubra).—P. chelidonea. Mast. Lvs. oblong,
forked at the end to one-fourth the length and with a small middle lobe, marked witn dots: fl. 2 in. across, reenish, with a folded corona. Ecuador. G.C. II. 12:40.—P. cinnabarina, Lindl. Branches terete: lvs. broard- ovate, 3-lobed, margins entire: fls. solitary, 2 1/2 in- across, red; corona short, folded, yellowish. Austral. G.C. 1855:724. B.M. 5911.—P. colimensis. Mast. & Rose. A Mexican species first described in 1899, but cult, for several years in Washington. It is an herbaceous
species, with shallow-lobed obtuse denticulate lvs. and small whitish
blue-marked fls. on single peduncles. Promising as an outdoor
climber.—P. europhylla, Mast. Lvs. oblong, very broad, rounded and
biglandular at base, 2-lobed at apex with small lobe between, upper
surface dull green and lower surface purplish: fls. whitish, not
specially attractive. British Guiana.—P. faetida. Linn. (P. hirsuta
and P. hircina, Hort.). Allied to P. adenopoda: annual or sometimes
perennial: lvs. pubescent, 3-lobed, the margins entire or obscurely
angled: fls. whitish, small, the corona as long as the petals and
colored purple and blue: fl.-bracta pinnatifid. Trop. Amer. L.B.C.
2:138. B.M. 3635, the form known as var. nigelliflora, Mast.; and
288, the var. ciliata, Mast. Perhaps in cult., but apparently not
offered in the trade. Variable.—P.galbana, Mast. Sts. terete: lvs.
lance-oblong, short-petioled, entire: stipules ovate-pointed: fl.
solitary on a long peduncle, 3 in. across, greenish yellow, the
sepals and petals very narrow, the not folded corona short. Brazil.
G.C. III. 20:555.— P. Imthurnii, Mast. Lvs. broad, oblong, acute,
entire, thick, glabrous above, but not beneath: fl. erect, 4-5 in.
across, brilliant scarlet and rose-color, with white in the center;
corona very short. British Guiana. G.C. III. 23:307. Very showy. — P.
kewensis, Hort. "It is a cross raised by Mr. Watson, the assistant
curator, between the hardy Passiflora caerulea and the Brazilian P.
Raddiana. The fls. are larger than those of P. Raddiana, the petals
and fringe longer, while the colour is carmine suffused with blue,
which, though perhaps not so bright and pleasing as it is in the
parent, is a lovely color. "—P. macro-carpa. Mast. Of the P.
quadrangularis group: St. 4-angled. strong- climbing: lvs. oval,
obtuse: fl. white and purple: fr. as large aa a small melon, weighing
several pounds. Brazil. — P. maliformis, Linn. Of the granadilla
section: st. described as cylindrical: lvs. ovate or ovate-oblong,
entire, the petiole 2-glandular: fl. fragrant, large; petals white;
corona blue: fr. yellow, round, and smooth, 2 in. diam., with
agreeable pulp. W. Indies to S. Amer. — P. Miersii, Mast. Sts.
slender and wiry: lvs. lance-ovate and entire, claret- colored
beneath: fl. 2 in. across, white, shaded with pink, the corona half
the length of the petals, white, barred with purple. Brazil. G.C.
III. 4:353. — P. militaris, Hort.(Tacsonia militaris. Hort.). A showy
winter-bloomer intro. from the Transvaal, supposed to be a hybrid of
P. manicata X P. insignis or P. Van VolxemiixP. insignia: lvs. green
and glabrous above, hairy beneath, deeply 3-lobed and sharp-serrate:
fls. bright crimson taking on purplish tinge with age, 4-5 in.
across, on hairy stalks 5 in. long; tube short, as in P. manicata,
glabrous, inflated at base; outer calyx-lobes striped on outside,
green in center, dull crimson on margins; corona small, purple;
bracts 3 at base of tube, ovate, serrate. — P. penduliflora, Bert.
Lvs. very broad, slightly 3-lobed: fls. yellow and green, solitary or
twin, often pendulous; corona in 1 series and 12-14-parted. W.
Indies. B.M. 4565. J.F. 2:114.—P. pinnatistipula, Csv. (Tacsonia
pinnatistipula, Juss.). Resembles T. mollissima, but the bracts are
free; stipules pinnatisect: fls. rose-colored. Chile. B.M. 4062. B.R.
1536.—P. punctata, Linn. Herbaceous climber, minutely puberulous:
lvs. nearly semi-circular or almost lunate, shallowfy 3-lobed, the
middle lobe much smaller, variegated on both surfaces with purple:
fls. in pairs, pale yellow, about 1 1/2 in. across; sepals
ovate-oblong, obtuse, nearly 2/4 in. long; petals similar but much
shorter; corona in 3 rows, yellow, the filaments of the outer row
with violet heads. S. Amer. B.M. 8101.—P. quadriglandulosa,
Rodschied. Fls. solitary, 4-5 in. diam., rose-color with a darker
shade in the center: corona with an outer ring of dark red filaments:
inner filaments tubular and paler; sepals and petals much alike, very
long and narrow, acuminate-pointed. Habitat unknown. G. 28:575.—P.
serratifolia. Linn. Lvs. ovate-lanceolate, acute, serrulate,
pubescent beneath; petiole 4-glandular: fls. purple; corona pale
purple and bluish. Mex. B.M. 651. H.U. 2, p. 71. —P. suberosa, Linn.
Glabrescent, with corky bark: lvs. roundish or ovate, 3-lobed, the
lobes ovate to oblong to lanceolate, the petiole 2-glandular above
the middle: fls. greenish yellow, without petals; corona short: berry
ovoid, small. W. Indies, Venezuela, etc.— P. triloba, Ruiz & Pav.
Lvs. large, cordate-ovate, 3-lobed or entire: fl. 3 in. across, with
violet reflexed sepals and petals, and a long cuplike corona, with
filaments banded white and purple. Peru. LH. 36:83.—P. Webriana,
Andre. Glandular-hairy: lvs. large, 3-lobed, the margin usually
toothed: fl. solitary, 2 in. across, white, the corona banded with
white: fr. setose, purple. Argentina. R.H. 1887:324.
L H B
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#REDIRECT [[Passion flower]]
#REDIRECT [[Passion flower]]
