PASSIFLORACEAE. 



251 



Family 2. PASSIFLORACEAE Dumort. 



Passiox-flower Family. 



Woody vines, climbing by tendrils, or erect herbs, with petioled usually 

 palmately-lobed leaves, and perfect regular flowers. Calyx-tube persistent. 

 Petals usually 5, inserted on the throat of the calyx, distinct, or in some 

 species united. Stamens 5. Throat of the calyx crowned with a double or 

 triple fringe. Filaments subulate or filiform, monadelphous, or separate. 

 Ovai-y free from the calyx, 1-celled; placentae 3-5, parietal; styles 1-5. 

 Fruit a berry or capsule, usually many-seeded. About 18 genera and 325 

 species, of warm and tropical regions, most abundant in South America. 



1. PASSIFLORA L. 



Climbing tendril-bearing vines, with alternate or rarely opposite leaves, and 

 axillary flowers, on jointed, often bracted j)eduncles. Calyx-tube mostly cup- 

 shaped or campanulate, 4-5-lobed, the lobes narrow, imbricated in the bud, its 

 throat crowned with a fringe called the corona. Petals 4 or 5 (rarely none), 

 inserted on the throat of the calyx. Ovary oblong, stalked. Filaments mona- 

 delphous in a tube around the stalk of the ovary, separate above; anthers nar- 

 row, versatile. Fruit a many-seeded berry. Seeds pulpy-arilled, flat, ovate; 

 endosperm fleshy. [Flower of the Cross, or Passion, as emblematic of the 

 crucifixion.] About 300 species, mostly of tropical America, a few in Asia 

 and Australia. Type species : Passiflora incarnata L. 



Flowers small; without an involucre or corolla; low short vine. 

 Flowers large ; involucre of 3 bracts ; long vines. 



Involucre-bracts entire. 



Involucre-bracts pectinate. 



1. Passiflora suberdsa L. Small 

 Passion-flower. Ink Berry. (Fig. 

 274.) A vine, with glabrous or pubes- 

 cent foliage. Leaves ovate in outline, 

 2'-6' long, ciliate, 5-nerved at the 

 broadly cuneate or cordate base, en- 

 tire, toothed, or 3-lobed to 'above the 

 middle, the lobes ovate or triangular, 

 acute or acuminate, the middle one 

 much the larger ; petioles each with 

 2 glands at or above the middle; pe- 

 duncles surpassing the petioles, com- 

 monly in pairs; calyx greenish, 8"- 

 12" broad; sepals lanceolate or linear- 

 lanceolate; corolla wanting; crown- 

 filaments purjfle at the base, shorter 

 than the sepals; berries subglobose or 

 oval, purple to black, 4"-6" in diam- 

 eter. [P. minima L.] 



Frequent on shaded rocks, on walls 

 and in thickets. Native. Florida and 

 the West Indies. Flowers in summer 

 and autumn. This is evidently the 

 small species mentioned by Lefroy as 

 undetermined by him. 



1. P. ftuhrrofia. 



2. P. incditiiitd. 



3. P. inctinuta. 



