Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora arizonica
blue passion flower, bluecrown passionflower
Arizona passionflower
angular when young, glabrous.
terete, densely 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 hairy, glandular-ciliate;
stipules pectinate, 1–8 × 1–4 mm, with glandular bristles or hairs;
petiole with glandular bristles or hairs;
blade roughly symmetric, 1.5–5 × 1–7 cm, moderately to deeply 3–5-lobed, middle lobe as long as or longer than lateral lobes, margins sharply dentate;
abaxial fine veins weakly to moderately raised, 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, 5–7 mm deep;
sepals white, 17–38 × 6–9 mm;
petals white, 16–30 × 6–12 mm;
corona filament whorls 5 or 6, outer 2 whorls white basally, pale purple apically, linear, terete to transversely compressed, 9–25 mm.
yellow-orange to orange, ovoid to ellipsoid, 30–50 × 30–35 mm.
green to yellow-green, ovoid, 20–35 × 18–30 mm.
bracts ovate to ovate-oblong, 15–25 × 10–15 mm, margins entire or weakly serrate, eglandular.
bracts pinnatifid, 15–35 × 10–28 mm, margins sharply dentate, with glandular bristles or hairs.
= 18.
Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora arizonica
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.)
Passiflora arizonica is known only from portions of Pima and Santa Cruz counties, Arizona, and eastern Sonora, and has been confused with P. arida (D. H. Goldman 2003). It flowers during the summer rainy season, usually August and September. Unlike most other members of the genus, particularly those of sect. Dysosmia, to which it belongs, P. arizonica flowers in the evening, closing around midnight. The fragrant flowers have a deep floral cup, and may be pollinated by nocturnal moths.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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