PASSION-FLOWER Pu.,N1//,,rd . gttins of fifty known species of mostly climbing plants of the natural order The which are almost cxelusise•dy natives of the It, ri I parts of An erica. I are alteru•ite. simple. van mr-lv lobed leaves. from the axil- of ,yhith ten drib are produced. The flowers are hermaphrodite. with a generally fine se;nonted colored calyx, and similarly segmented or absent corolla. Several rows of filamentous processes spring from within the cup, which is formed by the consolidated calyx and corolla. The genus received its name from fanciful persons among the first Spanish settlers in America who imag ined a representation of the Lord's passion. the filamentous processes being taken to represent the crown of thorns, the three styles the nails of the cross, and the five anthers the marks of the wounds. On account of the large and beauti ful flowers, many of the species are cultivated in greenhouses; some are also grow n in tropical countries for their fruit, particularly Pnssillora chills, or granadilla (q.v.). Passillora quad- •
ranyularis is a larger edible species known as the large granadilla. One of the best known species is Passiflora crerulea, a na tive of Peru and Brazil, extensively grown for its beautiful white, pale blue. or rose-colored flowers. Like most species, it succeeds in the open only in tropical and subtropical climates. Among the popular cultivated species are Passi flora graeilis and Passiflora rnegnnosn. About ten species are natives of the United States, among which are Passillora inearnata, the May-pop of the Southern States, a showy flowered edible fruited species. The passion-dower is propagated by seeds and by cuttings of the young wood.