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banana passion fruit, banana passionflower, banana poka

many-flower passionflower, whiteflower passionflower

Stems

terete, densely hairy.

terete, becoming coarsely fluted when old, densely hairy.

Leaves

not pungent, densely soft-hairy abaxially, sparsely hairy adaxially;

stipules subreniform, often leaflike, 4–7 × 2–3 mm, eglandular;

petiole glandular, glands emergent protuberances;

blade roughly symmetric, 5.5–16(–28) × 7–16(–29) cm, deeply 3-lobed, middle lobe as long as or longer than lateral lobes, margins serrate;

abaxial fine veins prominently raised, abaxial nectaries absent.

not pungent, densely soft-hairy;

stipules linear-setaceous, 3–5 × 0.5 mm, eglandular;

petiole glandular, glands small, emergent protuberances;

blade roughly symmetric, 4–10(–13) × 1.5–4(–6) cm, unlobed to rarely obscurely 3–5-lobed, middle lobe much longer than lateral lobes, margins entire;

abaxial fine veins prominently raised, abaxial nectaries absent or sometimes present near leaf margins.

Flowers

floral tube elongate, 60–80 mm deep;

sepals pink, 45–60 × 12–25 mm;

petals pink, 40–54 × 15–20 mm;

corona filament whorls 1, filaments tuberculate knobs, purple basally, white apically, 1–2 mm.

floral tube absent;

sepals green-white, 5–6 × 2–3 mm;

petals white, 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm;

corona filament whorls 2, outer filaments white basally, yellow apically, filiform, terete, clavate, 3–5 mm.

Berries

yellow to orange-yellow, oblong to ellipsoid-fusiform, 100–140 × 35–45 mm.

dark blue, globose, 5–8 × 5–8 mm.

Floral

bracts leaflike, 25–50 × 20–30 mm, margins entire, eglandular.

bracts obscure, ovate-lanceolate, 1–2 × 0.5–1 mm, margins entire, eglandular.

Passiflora tarminiana

Passiflora multiflora

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep(–Dec). Flowering Nov–Mar.
Habitat Pine or oak woodlands and woodland edges Tropical woodlands primarily over coral-reef limestone, 0–10 m
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela) [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; West Indies (Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Passiflora tarminiana is sparingly naturalized in the eastern San Francisco Bay area (F. Hrusa et al. 2002) and southward along the coast to San Luis Obispo County, in areas of minimal summer drought.

This species was recently described, and is commonly confused with Passiflora mollissima (Kunth) L. H. Bailey [now usually recognized as P. tripartita var. mollissima (Knuth) Holm-Nielsen & P. Jørgensen]. Many reports of P. mollissima in agricultural, horticultural, and weed-science literature actually apply to P. tarminiana. An attractive plant with large, edible fruits (T. Ulmer and J. M. MacDougal 2004), it is an extremely aggressive weed in Hawaii (A. M. La Rosa 1984, as P. mollissima) and other areas where it has been introduced in the Old World tropics and subtropics. The species is unlikely to become a widespread weed in the continental United States because it cannot survive frost nor occasional desiccation.

A similar, closely related species, Passiflora mixta Linnaeus f., is a rare escape in San Francisco, California; it can be distinguished from P. tarminiana by its angular young stems, persistent stipules (deciduous in P. tarminiana), and a floral tube 80–110 mm deep, 1.6–2.6 times the sepal length (1.3–1.6 times in P. tarminiana).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Passiflora multiflora can produce hundreds to thousands of flowers at once, often in several fragrant flushes per season. It has perhaps the smallest flowers of any passionflower, and the androgynophore is nearly absent. A glabrous form of this otherwise densely hairy species has been collected outside the flora area.

Passiflora miniata Vanderplank (often misidentified as P. coccinea Aublet) will key to P. multiflora based upon superficial similarity of their leaves. However, P. miniata has serrated leaf margins and large, red flowers.

Passiflora multiflora is listed as endangered in Florida.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 178. FNA vol. 6, p. 179.
Parent taxa Passifloraceae > Passiflora Passifloraceae > Passiflora
Sibling taxa
P. affinis, P. arida, P. arizonica, P. biflora, P. bryonioides, P. caerulea, P. ciliata, P. filipes, P. foetida, P. incarnata, P. lutea, P. mexicana, P. multiflora, P. pallens, P. pallida, P. sexflora, P. tenuiloba
P. affinis, P. arida, P. arizonica, P. biflora, P. bryonioides, P. caerulea, P. ciliata, P. filipes, P. foetida, P. incarnata, P. lutea, P. mexicana, P. pallens, P. pallida, P. sexflora, P. tarminiana, P. tenuiloba
Name authority Coppens & V. E. Barney: Novon 11: 9, figs. 1, 3, plate 1. (2001) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 956. (1753)
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