Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora arida
blue passion flower, bluecrown passionflower
desert passionflower
angular when young, glabrous.
terete, densely woolly-hairy.
weakly pungent, glabrous;
stipules subreniform, 10–20 × 5–10 mm, glandular-serrate;
petiole glandular, glands clavate;
blade roughly symmetric, 3–10(–16) × 4–11(–14) cm, deeply (3–)5–7(–9)-lobed, middle lobe as long as or longer than lateral lobes, margins entire but often serrate basally on lobes;
abaxial fine veins prominently raised, abaxial nectaries scattered along margins.
pungent, densely woolly-hairy, with obscurely glandular or eglandular bristles;
stipules pectinate, 2–5 × 3–8 mm, with obscurely glandular or eglandular bristles or hairs;
petiole with obscurely glandular or eglandular bristles or hairs;
blade roughly symmetric, 3–6 × 2–7 cm, deeply (3–)5–7(–9)-lobed, middle lobe longer than lateral lobes, margins entire or serrate;
abaxial fine veins weakly to moderately raised but obscured by pubescence, abaxial nectaries absent.
floral tube cuplike, 4–5 mm deep;
sepals white, 20–35 × 10–15 mm;
petals white, 20–40 × 10–15 mm;
corona filament whorls 4, outer filaments dark purple basally, white medially, purple apically (rarely entirely white), linear, terete to slightly flattened, 10–20 mm.
floral tube cuplike, 3–5 mm deep;
sepals white, 13–23 × 5–9 mm;
petals white, 14–20 × 5–8 mm;
corona filament whorls 5–6, outer 2 whorls purple to magenta basally, white medially, pale pink apically, linear, terete, 10–17 mm.
yellow-orange to orange, ovoid to ellipsoid, 30–50 × 30–35 mm.
green to pale yellow-green, ovoid, 2–3 × 15–25 mm.
bracts ovate to ovate-oblong, 15–25 × 10–15 mm, margins entire or weakly serrate, eglandular.
bracts pinnatifid, 16–28 × 14–28 mm, margins entire or dentate, with obscurely glandular or eglandular bristles or hairs.
= 18.
Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora arida
Passiflora caerulea is cultivated widely in the flora area but naturalized only in the Los Angeles metropolitan area (see F. Hrusa et al. 2002). It is possibly introduced in the Mule Mountains of southeastern Arizona (J. Koweek, pers. comm.), although this has not been confirmed. It was reported also from Utah by S. L. Welsh et al. (2003), although as “cultivated...long-persisting,” suggesting that it is not actually naturalized there. This species is cold-hardy and can be cultivated in gardens in relatively cold regions (at least USDA plant hardiness zone 6), but it is unlikely to flower in such areas because of relatively short growing seasons, although it still makes an interesting foliage plant. Even in the absence of sexual reproduction, this species can persist and even spread locally by root suckering.
The artificial hybrid Passiflora ×belotii will key to P. caerulea in this treatment. However, the leaves of P. ×belotii are consistently three-lobed, unlike the primarily five- to seven-lobed leaves of P. caerulea.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
In the flora area, Passiflora arida is known only from the vicinity of Tucson, where it is introduced. Although native to desert and semidesert areas, in cultivation, this species readily adapts to mesic conditions, grows aggressively, is self-pollinating, and exhibits rapid seed germination, suggesting that it could become a problematic, widespread weed (D. H. Goldman 2003). In recent years it has been distributed in the horticultural trade and among enthusiasts, misidentified as P. foetida var. arizonica. In greenhouse cultivation this plant can produce leaves less densely hairy and much larger than those described above.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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