Passiflora

Passiflora 

(passionflower), a genus of plants of the family Passifloraceae. These shrubs and herbs climb by means of runners, which are metamorphosed axes of the inflorescences or flower stalks. The alternate leaves are entire or lobed and often have nectar glands on the petioles. The large flowers, which reach 8 cm in diameter, are pentamerous; the perianths are often brightly colored. Between the perianth and the stamens there is a colorful crown of narrow raylike lobes. There are usually five stamens, and the ovary sometimes has three styles and three clávate or peltate stigmata. The fruit is a berry.

There are more than 400 passionflower species, distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical America. A number of species are found in tropical Asia, Australia, and Polynesia. Many species are cultivated in tropical countries for their edible fruits. Most commonly cultivated are the South American purple granadilla (P. edulis) and giant granadilla (P. quadrangularis); the latter yields fruits weighing as much as 2.5 kg. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals. P. coerulea from South America has been successfully cultivated on the southern coast of the Crimea and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.