THE PASSION-FLOWER FAMILY. 



401 



About 80 species are enumerated in this family, natives 

 cMefly of tropical America. They are only of botanical in- 

 terest ; several species are to be seen in the national collec- 

 tion at Kew. 



In alliance with Samydacece is a small family called Lacis- 

 temacecB. It consists of about 6 species, natives of tropical 

 America, and in habit are said to resemble some of the Pepper 

 family. 



PASSION FLOWER AND PAP AW ALLIANCE. 

 The Passion-flower Family. 



(Passiflorace^.) 



Small trees or tendril climbing ampelids, often attaining a 

 great length and height. Leaves alternate, simple or lobed ; 

 the footstalks generally bearing glands, and furnished with 

 stipules. Flowers axillary or terminal, sometimes in long 

 spike-like racemes ; generally large and of showy colours 

 (rarely unisexual). Calyx 5 -parted or combined, forming 

 a tube. Petals 5, seated on the calyx (sometimes absent), 

 generally furnished with a filamentous corona. Stamens 5, 

 monadelphous. Pistil 3-parted. Stigmas thick. Ovary pedi- 

 cellate. Fruit succulent, pulpy, containing numerous seeds. 



The greater number of the 200 species enumerated in this 

 family are natives of Brazil and the West Indies, as well as 

 other parts of tropical America, where they climb from tree to 

 tree, interlacing in the most complex manner, and beautifying 

 the scene by their showy flowers. A few are found in North 

 America, one or two in the East Indies, two in Norfolk 

 Island and Australia. Smeathmanma, a genus of small 

 erect trees, represents the family in the tropical regions of 

 Western Africa. The stems' of some of the climbers attain 

 the thickness of the arm, and look like ropes ; their vas- 

 cular structure is very open, containing a large quantity of 

 water. A stem of Passijlora actina^ when cut at Kew, yielded 

 nearly a gallon of pure water in about one minute. A great 

 many are cultivated in hothouses for the sake of their showy 



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