Passifloraceae Explained

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 the passion flower genus (Passiflora) which includes the edible passion fruit (Passiflora edulis), as well as garden plants such as maypop and running pop.

Passiflora vines and Dryas iulia (among other heliconian butterflies) have demonstrated evidence of coevolution, in which the plants attempted to stop their destruction from larval feeding by the butterflies, while the butterflies tried to gain better survival for their eggs.^[1]

The former Cronquist system of classification placed this family in the order Violales, but under more modern classifications systems such as that proposed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, this is absorbed into the Malpighiales and the family has been expanded to include the former Malesherbiaceae and Turneraceae.

Genera

Subfamily Malesherbioideae

• Malesherbia Ruiz & Pav.

Subfamily Pibirioideae

• Pibiria Maas

Subfamily Passifloroideae

Tribe Paropsieae Androsiphonia Stapf Barteria Hook.f. (includes synonym Smeathmannia Sol. ex R.Br.^[2]) Paropsia Noronha ex Thouars Paropsiopsis Engl. Viridivia J.H.Hemsl. & Verdc. Tribe Passifloreae Adenia Forssk. Ancistrothyrsus Harms Basananthe Peyr. Crossostemma Planch. ex Benth. Deidamia Noronha ex Thouars Dilkea Mast. Efulensia C.H.Wright Mitostemma Mast. Passiflora L. Schlechterina Harms

Subfamily Turneroideae

Adenoa Arbo Afroqueta Thulin & Razafim Arboa Thulin & Razafim Erblichia Seem. Hyalocalyx Rolfe Loewia Urb. Mathurina Balf.f. Oxossia L. Rocha Piriqueta Aubl. Stapfiella Gilg Streptopetalum Hochst. Tricliceras Thonn. ex DC. Turnera L.^[3]

Excluded genera

• Abatia Ruiz & Pav. → Salicaceae
• Aphaerema Miers → Salicaceae^[4]

External links

• • • Passiflora Online
• The Passiflora Society International
• Passiflora Picture Gallery

Notes and References

1. Benson. WW. Brown. S Jr. Gilbert. LE. 1975. Coevolution of plants and herbivores. Evolution. 29. 4. 659–680. 10.2307/2407076. 2407076. 28563089.
2. Web site: Smeathmannia R.Br. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . Plants of the World Online . 7 January 2022 . en.
3. Web site: GRIN Genera of Passifloraceae . Germplasm Resources Information Network . United States Department of Agriculture . 2012-01-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061551/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnlist.pl?829 . 2015-09-24 .
4. Web site: GRIN genera sometimes placed in Passifloraceae . Germplasm Resources Information Network . United States Department of Agriculture . 2012-01-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924062325/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/gnothlist.pl?829 . 2015-09-24 .
5. Maas . Paul J M . Baas . Pieter . Christenhusz . Maarten J M . Clarkson . James J . Koek-Noorman . Jifke . Mennega . Alberta M W . Tokuoka . Toru . Van Der Bank . Michelle . Van Der Ham . Raymond W J M . Van Marle . Erik-Jan . Westra . Lubbert Y T H . Chase . Mark W . 2019-03-26 . 'Unknown yellow':Pibiria, a new genus of Passifloraceae with a mixture of features found in Passifloroideae and Turneroideae . Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society . 189 . 4 . 397–407 . 10.1093/botlinnean/boz003 . 0024-4074.