''Passiflora vesicaria'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of plant in 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 ...

. It was first described by Linnaeus, later synonymized with ''

Passiflora foetida ''Passiflora foetida'' (common names: stinking passionflower, wild maracuja, bush passion fruit, wild water lemon, stoneflower, love-in-a-mist, or running pop) is a species of passion flower that is native to the southwestern United States (south ...

'' as the varieties ''Passiflora foetida'' var. ''glabrifolia'', ''P. foetida'' var. ''hispida'', and ''P. foetida'' var. ''isthmia''. Vanderplank restored it to full species status in 2013.

Description

Like most ''Passiflora'' species, ''P. vesicaria'' is a climbing vine. The leaves are three-lobed with a serrate margin; the fowers are solitary with pinnatisect bracts and the corona in several rings. It is distinguished from P. foetida by having red instead of green fruit.

Range

''Passiflora vesicaria'' is native to Central and South America, including Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, Gyuana, Panama and Costa Rica; and to several Caribbean islands including Trinidad and Tobago, the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. The variety ''P. vesicaria'' var. ''galapagensis'' is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. It has been introduced in Florida in the United States, South and Southeast Asia, and to many tropical islands worldwide, including Aldabra, Borneo, Caroline Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., Marianas, Nauru, New Caledonia, and Wake I.

Habitat

''Passiflora vesicaria'' grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Ecology

Etymology

''Passiflora'' is derived from the Italian ''passio'', meaning "suffering" and the Latin ''flora'' meaning "flower", in reference to the Passion of the Christ. ''Vesicaria'' means bladder, presumably referring to the form of the fruits.

Taxonomy

''Passiflora vesicaria'' contains the following varieties: * ''Passiflora vesicaria'' var. ''vesicaria'' * ''Passiflora vesicaria'' var. ''galapagensis'' –

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...

References

vesicaria Flora of the Galápagos Islands {{Passifloraceae-stub