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Passifloraceae
Passion Flower
Passiflora
Faith, the Passion of Christ, spirituality, devotion.
- Family
- Passifloraceae
- Genus
- Passiflora
- Native to
- Americas, Asia, Australia
- Bloom season
- Summer, Fall
- Type
- climbing vine
- Height
- 3–9 m climbing
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- Well-drained, moderately fertile
- Water
- Regular
- Hardiness
- 6–11 (varies by species)
- Lifespan
- Perennial
Did you know
- Spanish missionaries in 17th-century South America used the flower's intricate parts to teach the Passion of Christ — 5 sepals + 5 petals for the 10 faithful apostles, the corona for the crown of thorns, three stigmas for the nails, and five stamens for the wounds.
- Passion flowers are the sole food source for the caterpillars of many Heliconius butterflies, which evolve in an arms race with the plants' chemical defenses.
- The fruit of Passiflora edulis is the familiar passionfruit; many other species also bear edible fruits.
- Passiflora incarnata (maypop) is used in herbal medicine as a sedative and anxiety reliever.
- There are over 550 species of Passiflora, ranging from tiny vines to massive woody climbers.