About Passiflora ciliata var. hibiscifolia (Lam.) Vanderpl.
This entry describes the Passiflora genus, to which Passiflora ciliata var. hibiscifolia (Lam.) Vanderpl. belongs. Most members of the Passiflora genus are tendril-bearing vines, though some grow as shrubs or trees. Plants in the genus may be woody or herbaceous. Their flowers are symmetrical (regular), usually showy, and have a distinctive corona; some species, such as P. xiikzodz and P. alata, can have up to eight concentric series of this coronal structure. A defining feature of the genus is the androgynophore, a central column that holds the stamens and pistil, which can be quite long in some species like P. coactilis. Flowers are pentamerous, meaning their parts are arranged in groups of five, with the exception of a small number of Southeast Asian species. Flowers ripen into indehiscent fruits that hold numerous seeds. Fruit size varies by species and cultivar, ranging from 5 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 in) in length and 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) across. The Passiflora genus has a mostly neotropical distribution, which differs from other genera in the Passifloraceae family that include more Old World species, such as the genus Adenia. The vast majority of Passiflora species are native to the United States and Latin America, though additional species are found in Southeast Asia and Oceania. New Passiflora species continue to be formally identified; for example, P. xishuangbannaensis was only documented by the scientific community in 2005, and P. pardifolia in 2006. Some Passiflora species have become naturalized outside their native ranges: the blue passion flower (P. caerulea) now grows wild in Spain, and the purple passionfruit (P. edulis) and its yellow relative P. edulis f. flavicarpa have been introduced to many tropical regions as commercial crops. Passion flowers have floral structures adapted for biotic pollination. Known pollinators include bumblebees, carpenter bees such as Xylocopa sonorina, wasps, bats, and hummingbirds, particularly hermit hummingbirds like Phaethornis; some species are also capable of self-pollination. Passiflora often has high pollinator specificity, which has led to widespread coevolution across the genus. A well-known example is the sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera): its extremely elongated bill makes it the only pollinator for 37 species of high Andean Passiflora in the supersection Tacsonia. Passiflora leaves are a food source for the larvae of many Lepidoptera species, most famously, many butterfly species in the tribe Heliconiini that feed exclusively on Passiflora. The genus has evolved a range of defensive adaptations against herbivory, including diverse leaf shapes that help disguise the plants, colored nubs that mimic butterfly eggs and deter heliconian butterflies from laying eggs on what appears to be an already occupied leaf, extrafloral nectaries, trichomes, leaf variegation, and chemical defenses. These adaptations, alongside corresponding adaptations in the butterflies that feed on them, were important to the early development of coevolutionary theory. Recent research has found that Passiflora plants both grow faster and have stronger defenses when growing in high-nitrogen soils. In low-nitrogen environments, Passiflora prioritizes growth over defense, leaving them more vulnerable to herbivores. Lepidoptera larvae confirmed to feed on Passiflora include multiple longwing butterflies in the Heliconiinae subfamily: Heliconius cydno (the Cydno longwing, one of the few heliconians that feeds on multiple Passiflora species), Agraulis vanillae (the Gulf fritillary, which feeds on several species including Passiflora lutea, Passiflora affinis, stinking passion flower (P. foetida), and maypop (P. incarnata)), Heliconius sara (the American Sara longwing), Heliconius erato (the red postman), Cethosia cyane (the Asian leopard lacewing), Heliconius melpomene (the postman butterfly, which prefers P. menispermifolia and P. oerstedii), Heliconius charithonia (the zebra longwing, which feeds on yellow passion flower, two-flowered passion flower (P. biflora), and corky-stemmed passion flower (P. suberosa)), Dryadula phaetusa (the banded orange, which feeds on P. tetrastylis), and Dryas iulia (the Julia butterfly, which feeds on yellow passion flower and P. affinis). Other lepidopteran larvae that feed on Passiflora include the swift moth Cibyra serta, and Acraea terpsicore (the tawny coster, which feeds on Passiflora edulis, Passiflora foetida and Passiflora subpeltata). The generally high specificity of pollinators and parasites in Passiflora may have contributed to the genus's extreme morphological variation. Passiflora is thought to have among the highest leaf diversity of any plant genus, with leaf shapes ranging from unlobed to five-lobed often found on a single individual plant. Coevolution is a major driver of speciation, and may be responsible for the evolutionary radiation of certain Passiflora clades such as Tacsonia. The bracts of stinking passion flower (P. foetida) are covered in hairs that secrete a sticky fluid. Many small insects become stuck in this fluid, and are digested into a nutrient-rich paste by proteases and acid phosphatases. Because the insects killed this way are rarely major pests of the plant, stinking passion flower is considered a protocarnivorous plant. Some Passiflora species have become invasive in introduced regions. Banana passion flower, also called banana poka (P. tarminiana), which is originally from Central Brazil, is an invasive weed particularly on the Hawaiian Islands. It is spread primarily by feral pigs that eat its fruits, and it overgrows and smothers stands of native vegetation, most often along roadsides. Blue passion flower (P. caerulea) is an invasive species in Spain, where it is considered likely to threaten local ecosystems. On the other hand, some Passiflora species are endangered as a result of unsustainable logging and other forms of habitat destruction. For example, the Chilean passion flower (P. pinnatistipula) is a rare vine that grows in the Tropical Andes from Venezuela southward, at altitudes between 2,500 and 3,800 metres (8,200 and 12,500 ft), as well as in Coastal Central Chile. In Coastal Central Chile, it only occurs in a few tens of square kilometres of coastal fog forest near Zapallar. Unlike other species in the Tacsonia group, such as banana passion flower and P. mixta, which have elongated floral tubes and bright red to rose-colored petals, P. pinnatistipula produces a round fruit. Notable pathogens of Passiflora, some with economic impacts, include several sac fungi in the genus Septoria (including S. passiflorae), an undescribed proteobacterium referred to as "Pseudomonas tomato" pv. passiflorae, the Potyvirus passionfruit woodiness virus, and the Carlavirus Passiflora latent virus. Passiflora is not recommended for use during pregnancy, as it may induce contractions. Consuming Passiflora products may cause side effects including drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, abnormal heart rhythms, asthma, or rhinitis. Passiflora incarnata (maypop) leaves and roots have a long history of use as a traditional medicine by Native Americans in North America, and this use was adopted by European colonists. Fresh or dried maypop leaves are used to make a tea that is used as a sedative. Dried passionflower powder or passionflower extract is sold as a dietary supplement. There is insufficient clinical evidence to support the use of passionflower to treat any medical condition. In the United States, passionflower is classified as generally recognized as safe for use as a food ingredient.
