Passiflora vitifolia Kunth
Crimson passion flower, grape-leaved passion fruit, perfumed passionflower, vine-leaf passion flower, passion flower, crimson passion vine
The crimson passion flower is native to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, in South and Central America. It is becoming naturalized in Hawaii, but is not found in the wild elsewhere in North America.
Plants: These evergreen vines reach 25′ (7.6 m) in length. The vine extends tendrils that encircle supports, then coils them like springs to achieve a more robust grasp.
Leaves: This species’ leaves resemble grape leaves, hence the name vitifolia. Dark green leaves have three lobes, and fuzzy undersides.
Flowers: Beautiful red fragrant flowers are 5–6″ (12–15 cm) in diameter, with 10 petals. (Okay, technically, there are five petals and five petal-like sepals.)
Fruits: Egg-shaped, green with yellow or white spots, soft and juicy.
Passiflora vitifolia flower, by Density. 
Habitats: Wet tropical biome.
Edibility: Fully ripened fruits taste similar to sour strawberries,
and are tasty when sweetened. 
Leaves, however, contain cyanide.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) 
4/10/2015 · Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, Florida · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm) 
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) 
4/10/2015 · Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, Florida · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm) 
4/10/2015 · Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, Florida · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) 
4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
8/31/2013 · Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia · ≈ 9 × 7″ (22 × 16 cm) 
3/11/2005 · Costa Rica 
9/9/2005 · Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Insitute, Washington, DC 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Malpighiales | A broad group encompassing 16,000 species |
| Family | Passifloraceae | Named from passion flowers, also includes maypop and various trees, shrubs and vines |
| Genus | Passiflora | From Latin passio, “passion,” and flos, “flower” |
| Species | vitifolia | Grape-like, referring to the leaf shapes |
Passiflora vitifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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