The New International Encyclopædia/Passion-flower

PASSION-FLOWER (Passiflora). A genus of fifty known species of mostly climbing plants of the natural order Passifloraceæ. The species, which are almost exclusively natives of the warm parts of America, have alternate, simple, variously lobed leaves, from the axils of which tendrils are produced. The flowers are usually hermaphrodite, with a generally fine segmented

colored calyx, and similarly segmented or absent corolla. Several rows of filamentous processes spring from within the cup, which is formed by the consolidated calyx and corolla. The genus received its name from fanciful persons among the first Spanish settlers in America who imagined a representation of the Lord's passion, the filamentous processes being taken to represent the crown of thorns, the three styles the nails of the cross, and the five anthers the marks of the wounds. On account of the large and beautiful flowers, many of the species are cultivated in greenhouses; some are also grown in tropical countries for their fruit, particularly Passiflora edulis, or granadilla (q.v.). Passiflora quadrangularis is a larger edible species known as the large granadilla. One of the best known species is Passiflora cærulea, a native of Peru and Brazil, extensively grown for its beautiful white, pale blue, or rose-colored flowers. Like most species, it succeeds in the open only in tropical and subtropical climates. Among the popular cultivated species are Passifiora gracilis and Passifiora racemosa. About ten species are natives of the United States, among which are Passiflora incarnata, the May-pop of the Southern States, a showy flowered edible fruited species. The passion-flower is propagated by seeds and by cuttings of the young wood.