Passiflora incarnata Illustration Credit: Azmat

Leaves simple, entire or palmately 3-7 lobed, rarely bilobed; stipules setaceous or foliaceous or absent; petiole glandular. Inflorescence of solitary axillary flowers on articulated peduncle or 2-more flowered small cyme, rarely racemose or fasciculate. Flowers pedicellate, mostly bisexual, often large and showy; hypanthium cup-shaped or campanulate, perigynous. Sepals 4-5, horned outside below the apex, fleshy or membranous. Petals 4-5, rarely absent. Corona uni or multiseriate, fleshy. Stamens 4-5, filaments flat, basally connate into a tube and adnate to gynophore, separating below ovary, subreflexed, anthers versatile. Ovary tricarpellary, syncarpous, stipitate on somewhat angular or cylindric gynophore; styles 3, free or basally somewhat united, stigmas 3, capitate. Fruit oblong to globose, pulpy berry, rarely somewhat trivalved capsule. Seeds flat, mostly ovate, with minutely pitted testa; embryo with foliaceous cotyledons.

About 500 species, mainly of tropical and subtropical America, New Zealand, Australia, Asia and 1 in Madagascar.

Lower Taxa

• Passiflora coerulea Linn.
• Passiflora foetida Linn.
• Passiflora incarnata Linn.
• Passiflora minima Linn.