Plate 089 · flower, fruit and tendrils IdentificationSix marks on the plate
- 1Corona of filaments white with purple bands.
- 2Inner filaments short, blue-tipped.
- 3White sepals and petals; sepals green outside.
- 4Ovoid fruit 4 – 5 cm long.
- 5Deeply cut leaf into 3 – 5 narrow lobes.
- 6Coiled tendril for climbing.
Easily confused with Blue passionflowerPassiflora caeruleaLarger flower, 6 – 10 cm, with a blue, white and purple corona. Orange fruit. 089 / 100 · PLANTS · PASSIFLORACEAENOT EVALUATED Tucumán passionflower
Passiflora tucumanensis
Pasionaria tucumana · Passion vine
A native climber named after the province. It climbs with tendrils and bears white flowers with a corona of purple-banded filaments. In Tucumán it reaches the high valleys, such as El Mollar and Tafí del Valle.
- Flower
- 4 – 5 cm across
- Fruit
- Ovoid, 4 – 5 cm
- Leaves
- 3 – 5 narrow lobes
- Range
- Mainly NW Argentina and Bolivia
- Climber
- Tendrils
- Named for Tucumán
- Native
Altitude rangeFrom forest to high valleys
Tucumán records (approx.) There are records from the montane forest and from the Tafí valley, near 2,000 m (El Mollar, Tafí del Valle). The range is approximate.
EcologyFlowers for bees, leaves for caterpillars
- Large beespollinate open-flowered passionflowers
- Fritillary caterpillarsHeliconiinae · feed on passion vines
- Birds and mammalseat the fruit and spread seeds
- Shrubs and edgessupport to climb on
- Sun or part shadeclearings, edges and fences
Gulf fritillaries and their relatives lay eggs on passion vines, and the caterpillars eat the leaves. The plate shows a spiny orange caterpillar.
Life cycleClimbs, flowers, fruits
- Tendrils. Each node bears a tendril that coils around whatever it touches and pulls the stem up.
- Complex flower. Stamens and styles stand on a column. Large visitors brush the pollen as they circle the corona.
- Fleshy fruit. It forms an ovoid fruit with many seeds wrapped in pulp.
Where to look in Tucumán- Tafí del Valle (RP 307)
- PN Aconquija
- Cuesta del Clavillo
- Sierra de San Javier