西番蓮

Herbaceous vines, woody at base, ca. 6 m long. Stem slender-striate, glabrous. Leaves 6-13 × 8-13 cm, membranous, base cuneate or cordate, deeply 3-lobed, middle lobe ovate, lateral lobes ovate-oblong, margin glandular-serrate, with 1 or 2 small cup-shaped glands near base of sinuses, glabrous. Inflorescence a reduced cyme, central flower not developed, one lateral branch converted to a tendril, flower opposite tendril; bracts green, broadly ovate or rhombic, 1-1.2 cm, margin irregularly serrulate. Pedicel 4-4.5 cm, biglandular at apex. Flowers 4-7 cm in diam.; hypanthium 0.8-1 × 1-1.2 cm. Sepals green outside, light green or white inside, 2.5-4 × ca. 1.5 cm, awn 2-4 mm. Petals 2.5-3 cm × ca. 8 mm. Corona in 4 or 5 series; outer 2 series ligulate with filiform distal half, 2-2.5 cm, base light green, middle purple, apex white; inner 2 or 3 series filiform, 1-3 mm, green and purple; operculum recurved, 1-1.2 mm, margin entire or irregularly lacerate apically; disk ca. 4 mm high, membranous; androgynophore 1-1.2 cm tall; trochlea (ring-shaped enlargement on androgynophore) just above disk. Filaments 5-6 mm, flat, coherent at base; anthers light yellow-green, oblong, 5-6 mm. Ovary obovoid, ca. 8 mm, glabrous to pubescent; styles flat; stigma reniform. Fruit purple at maturity, ovoid, 3-4 cm in diam., glabrous. Seeds many, ovoid, 5-6 mm. Fl. Jun, fr. Nov.

Brazil, often cultivated.

Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan, Yunnan [native to South America (probably originally from S Brazil)].

1300-1700 m

Cultivated, escaped in forests in mountain valleys; 100-1900 m.

Passiflora minima Blanco (1837), not Linnaeus (1753).