Passiflora sublanceolata
Genus of flowering plants

Passiflora sublanceolata
Passiflora sublanceolata flower side view
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Passifloraceae
Subfamily: Passifloroideae
Tribe: Passifloreae
Genus: Passiflora
Species:
P. sublanceolata
Binomial name
Passiflora sublanceolata
(Killip) J.M.MacDougal, 2004
Synonyms[1]
  • Passiflora palmeri var. sublanceolata Killip (1936)

Passiflora sublanceolata is a species of the genus Passiflora, whose members often are known generally as passion flowers or passion vines. It belongs to the Passionflower family, the Passifloraceae.

Description

Passiflora sublanceolata much dissected, glandular bracts below flower

Passiflora sublanceolata is a tendril-bearing vine able to climb at least 3.6 m (12 ft) high in gardens.[2] Leaves are up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long and 35 cm (14 in) wide, usually with modestly developed lobes at the base. Bracts immediately below the flowers are up to 10 mm (0.39 in) wide, and deeply 2-4 divided, with the ultimate segments threadlike and tipped with sticky glands.[3]

Flowers are variously described as intense rose, bright purple-pink, or hot pink. The flowers' male and female parts, the stamens and pistils, are held above the petals on a special stalk, the androgynophore, up to 21 mm (0.83 in) high. The corona, consisting of slender, erect filaments surrounding the base of the androgynophore, is white, sometimes with pink or purple, and up to 10 mm (0.39 in) high.[4] The spherical fruit is about 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter and densely hairy.[5]

Distribution

Passiflora sublanceolata occurs in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Belize and Guatemala.[6]

Habitat

In hot, subhumid areas with summer rains, Passiflora sublanceolata inhabits savannas, low-growing semi-deciduous forests which sometimes are inundated or not, and disturbed areas.[6] Images on this page show an individual entangled with tall, dense weeds along a road in southern Mexico.[7]

Ecology

Passiflora sublanceolata is pollinated by hummingbirds.[4]

In gardens

Passiflora sublanceolata is easy to propagate from seeds, and the plants grow fast. It doesn't do well at temperatures lower than around 12 °C. (54 °F), but is suited for growing in pots or greenhouses.[5]

Taxonomy

In 1936 when Ellsworth Paine Killip first described Passiflora sublanceolata as Passiflora palmeri var. sublanceolata, it made sense because the supposed variety was very similar to the Passiflora sublanceolata. However, in 1991, John M. MacDougal determined that P. palmeri occurred in the desert of Baja California in northwestern Mexico, while his new P. sublanceolata inhabited the wetter though seasonally dry Yucatan Peninsula and Belize.[4]

Historically, Passiflora species have been assigned to several subgenera.[8] In 2021, phylogenetic analysis found that taxa in the traditional Passiflora section Decaloba, to which our species presumably belongs, can be recognized as belonging to the "Central American clade." However, with many of the approximately 600 Passiflora species still to be analyzed, many features of relationships of taxa at the subgenus level remain unclear.[9]

Etymology

In the genus name Passiflora, the -Passi derives from the New Latin passio, meaning "passion or suffering". This alludes to the floral morphology – the pistil's three styles representing nails, the corona representing the crown of thorns, and red coloration (if present) representing the blood of Christ – symbolizing Christ's crucifixion. The flora comes from the Latin flos, meaning "flower".[10]

In the species name sublanceolata, the Sub- originally is from the ancient Greek sub, meaning "below or lower", and the -lanceolata is lanceolatus, which is Latin for a small lance; therefore, with this species, sublanceolata must refer to the leaf shape, which in technical botany is referred to as "sublanceolate".[11]

  • Passiflora sublanceolata, flower from above
    Passiflora sublanceolata, flower from above
  • Passiflora sublanceolata, 5 stamens, 3 styles and a very hairy ovary atop the androgynophore
    Passiflora sublanceolata, 5 stamens, 3 styles and a very hairy ovary atop the androgynophore
  • Passiflora sublanceolata, sublanceolate leaves and tendrils
    Passiflora sublanceolata, sublanceolate leaves and tendrils
  • Passiflora sublanceolata, hairy, sticky-glandular leaf undersurface
    Passiflora sublanceolata, hairy, sticky-glandular leaf undersurface

References

  1. ^ "Passiflora sublanceolata (Killip) J.M.MacDougal". Plants of the World Online. United Kingdom: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Passiflora Species, Passion Flower, Passion Vine". davesgarden.com. Dave's Garden. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  3. ^ Killip, E.P. (September 30, 1936). "Passifloraceae of the Mayan Region". Maya Botany: Miscellaneous Papers. XIII. Washington, DC, USA: Carnegie Institution of Washington: 301–328. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c MacDougal, John M. (1991). "Six New Taxa of Passiflora, with Nomenclatural Notes on the Genus in Mesoamerica". Novon. 14 (4). Missouri Botanical Garden: 459.
  5. ^ a b Vecchia, Maurizio. "Passiflora sublanceolata (Killip) MacDougal (2004)". passiflora.it. Italy: PASSIFLORA.IT. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Taxón: Passiflora sublanceolata (Killip) J.M. MacDougal". cicy.mx (in Spanish). Mérida, Yucatán, México: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  7. ^ "Passiflora sublanceolata Research Grade". inaturalist.org. iNaturalist. July 4, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  8. ^ Hansen, A. Katie; Gilbert, Lawrence E.; Simpson, Beryl B.; Downie, Stephen R.; Cervi, Armando C.; Jansen, Robert K. (2006). "Phylogenetic Relationships and Chromosome Number Evolution in Passiflora" (PDF). Systematic Botany. 31 (1). American Society of Plant Taxonomists: 138–150. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  9. ^ Acha, Serena; Linan, Aexander; MacDougal, John; Edwards, Christine (July 14, 2021). "The evolutionary history of vines in a neotropical biodiversity hotspot: Phylogenomics and biogeography of a large passion flower clade (Passiflora section Decaloba)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 164 (107269). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107260.
  10. ^ Goldman, Douglas H.; MacDougal, John M. "1. Passiflora Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 955. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 410. 1754. name conserved". Flora of North America. Oxford University Press. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  11. ^ "Glossary – Ra – Sy". bibleofbotany.com. Australia: Bible of Botany. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
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