''Passiflora mixta'', from the family

Passifloraceae The Passifloraceae are a family of flowering plants, containing about 750 species classified in around 27 genera. They include trees, shrubs, lianas, and climbing plants, and are mostly found in tropical regions. The family takes its name from t ...

is also known as ''curuba'' (in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

), ''curuba de indio'', ''curuba de monte'', ''curubita'', ''parcha'' (in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

), and ''taxo'' (in

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

). Originally, it derived from the

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

''Passiflora'' subgenus '' Tacsonia''. ''Passiflora mixta'' is endemic to the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. A perennial

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

, the ''Passiflora mixta'' is pink to orange-red in color.

Description

''Passiflora mixta'' can be identified by its large pink flowers and trilobate coricaeous leaves, which are tubular in shape and protrude from its branches. It has a hairy elongated

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

and

hypanthium In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the Sepal, calyx, the petal, corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and cal ...

(flower tube) that contains a narrow nectar chamber. The

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s, and stigmas are located anterior to the hypanthium near the androgynophore. The species is capable of producing fruits and flowers that remain open for 3 to 5 days by producing half-pendant, horizontal, or erect flowers. The species is wild, collected, and an important genetic resource for

banana passionfruit Banana passionfruit (''Passiflora'' supersect. ''Tacsonia''), also known as taxo and curuba, is a group of around 64 ''Passiflora'' species found in South America. Most species in this section are found in high-elevation cloud forest habitats. ...

breeding.

Morphology

* StemSub five-angular * Leaf pubescenceNot present on the upper surface; however, missing to seldom dense on the lower surface *

Stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s are moderate to large in size, 6–20 mm in length, 12–30 mm wide (),

reniform Reniform is an adjective meaning "kidney-shaped". It may refer to: * Reniform habit, a type of crystal shape * Reniform leaf, a plant leaf shape * Reniform seed, a plant seed shape * Reniform stigma, a spot on the wings of certain moths See ...

, dentate or serrate, persistent * Peduncles are robust with a varied length, resulting in half-pendent, horizontal, or erect flowers * The bracts are joined for half their length or more * The corolla color ranges from pale pink to intense red, and is

campanulate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

(bell-shaped) * The floral tube to

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

ratio is 1.6:2.6, and the nectar chamber is slightly broader than the floral tube * At maturity, the

pericarp Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Fruitlike structures may develop directly from the seed itself rather th ...

often appears green, occasionally turning yellow;

aril An aril (), also called arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode, or false aril, is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the seed to the ova ...

s are scarce, and grey to orange in color.

Pollination

This species of ''Passiflora'' is pollinated by the sword-billed hummingbird (''Ensifera ensifera''), which is the only living species in its genus. The hummingbird is found throughout the northern

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

and is identified by its extremely long beak, longer than its entire body. The long beak allows the bird to reach nectar at the bottom of the plant's long corolla tubes.

Distribution

''Passiflora mixta'' ranges from Venezuela to

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, and has been naturalized in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It is restricted to

highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

areas between above sea level. The species can withstand disturbances and is more prominent in dryer environments and lower altitudes than other species of ''Tacsonia''. It grows along the edges of forests and along the margins.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3448217 mixta Flora of Southern America Plants described in 1782