Species
Passiflora caerulea
Etymology
Passiflora: Passionflower
caerulea: From the caeruleus 'deep blue'
caerulea: From the Latin caeruleus 'sky blue'
Common Name(s)
blue passion flower
Family
Passifloraceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Lianes and Related Trailing Plants
Habitat
Terrestrial. Coastal areas, lowlands, light gaps, prefers fertile soil (DOC, 1998). Forest margins and scrub, roadsides wastelands, farm and orchard hedges, domestic gardens.
Features
Hairless vine with angular shoots. Leaves deeply 5-lobed and thin, middle lobe 3.5-8.5 cm long. Flowers purple/white, December-April.
Similar Taxa
Can be separated from all other passiflora by at least some of the leaves having 5 lobes. Very distinctive blue flowers in summer.
Flowering
December, January, February, March, April.
Flower Colours
Violet / Purple,White
Year Naturalised
1958
Origin
S. Brazil to Argentina
Reason For Introduction
Ornamental
Life Cycle Comments
Perennial.
Reproduction
Reproduces from seed, but also spreads vegetatively over large distances.
Seed
Many viable seeds are borne in each fruit.
Dispersal
Blackbirds, fruit is also eaten by possums.
Tolerances
Is the most cold tolerant of all passiflora species in NZ.
References and further reading
Heenan, PB; Sykes, WR 2003. Passiflora (Passifloraceae) in New Zealand: a revised key with notes on distribution. NZ J Botany 41: 217-221. DOI: 10.1080/0028825X.2003.9512842
This page last updated on 25 Feb 2016