Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Passiflora caerulea

Other Names

Blue Crown Passionflower, Common Passion Flower, Passion

Vine

Family

Passifloraceae

Flowering season

July to October

English distribution

It is scattered throughout the country, but is most common

in the South, especially near Greater London, and is least

common in the North.

See the BSBI distribution map for Blue Passionflower

Habitat

It is a neophyte, which was introduced from South America

as a garden plant. It is the national flower of Paraquay.

It can be invasive and escape from gardens.

In the UK, the escape grows on waste ground, usually close

to habitation.

Description

Blue Passionflower is a woody, vine growing up to 10m.

The flowers are extremely showy and attractive and up to

8cm across.

There are 5 sepals and 5 petals. Petals and sepals look

similar.

Above the petals the corona has 3 or 4 rings of

multicoloured filaments radiating from a basal annular

nectary.

Above the filaments there is a pale green column with 5

stamens and anthers at the top.

The pale-green, globular ovary is above the stamens.

At the top of the ovary there is a purple, 3-lobed linear

style.

Each lobe has a kidney-shaped stigma.

Fruits are orange, globose berries up to 6cm and containg

numerous red, fleshy seeds.

Fruits are edible but apparently not particularly tasty.

Leaves are palmate with up to 9 ovate oblong lobes up to

8cm.

The stems are twisted, angular and square-shaped.

It attaches to other plants and structures by tendrils.