Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora mexicana
blue passion flower, bluecrown passionflower
Mexican passionflower
angular when young, glabrous.
subangular, glabrous.
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.
not pungent, glabrous;
stipules linear-subulate, 1.5–2.5 × 0.5 mm, eglandular;
petiole eglandular;
blade roughly symmetric, 1.5–7(–15) × 2.5–8(–14) cm, moderately to deeply 2-lobed, margins entire;
abaxial fine veins weakly to moderately raised, abaxial nectaries not along leaf margins, usually in 2 lines and rarely extending into leaf lobes at least on flowering stems.
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 absent;
sepals green, 13–17 × 4–6 mm;
petals green, 3–4 × 1 mm;
corona filament whorls 2, outer filaments red, becoming purple, linear, terete, 5–12 mm.
yellow-orange to orange, ovoid to ellipsoid, 30–50 × 30–35 mm.
purple-black, globose to subellipsoid, 8–16 × 7–14 mm.
bracts ovate to ovate-oblong, 15–25 × 10–15 mm, margins entire or weakly serrate, eglandular.
bracts linear-subulate, 1–4 × 0.5 mm, margins entire, eglandular.
= 18.
Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora mexicana
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.)
The leaf shape of Passiflora mexicana is varies greatly within individual plants. Lateral leaf lobes are much shorter and apically rounded on slower-growing or flowering branches, but are relatively long and truncate on vigorously-growing, nonflowering branches, suckers, and young plants. A striking feature of this species is that as the flowers become less receptive to pollination the coronal filaments and limen (disc at base of the androgynophore) dramatically change color; the corona from red to purple, the limen from orange to yellow or white. The typically fetid flowers of this species may be wasp-pollinated (J. M. MacDougal and R. McVaugh 2001).
Passiflora mexicana may consist of a small complex of species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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