passifloraceae
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Passifloraceae
[‚pas·ə·flə′rās·ē‚ē] (botany)
A family of dicotyledonous, often climbing plants in the order Violales; flowers are polypetalous and hypogynous with a corona, and seeds are arillate with an oily endosperm.
passionflower
passionflower
The whole plant, including the fruit and amazing-looking flower are edible. 10 white petals with purple corona of multicolored rays, 5 stamens, and a pistil with 3 stigmas. Flowers have lots of purple threads radiating out underneath. There are different types of passionflower, and the egg shaped & sized fruits vary. One is an orange color with red gooey seeds inside (Passiflora caerulea). The other is green when ripe and contains strange seeds individually wrapped in a clear sac. (Maypop, Passiflora incarnata) Make tea from the flowers to relax, restful sleep. The whole plant is used as an antispasmotic and relaxant for anxiety, nervous disorders, epilepsy, neuralgia, insomnia, painful menses, headaches, restlessness, nervous tension, sleeping problems, inflammation, lower blood pressure.