''Passiflora cinnabarina'', commonly known as red passionflower, is a species of flowering 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 ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to south-eastern Australia. It is a climber or scrambler with three-lobed leaves and red flowers.

Description

''Passiflora cinnabarina'' is a

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

climber or scrambler with slender stems up to long and with simple

tendril In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as ''Cuscuta''. There are many plants that have tendr ...

s in the leaf axils. The leaves are up to long and wide with three lobes, on a petiole long with narrow lance-shaped

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). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s long at the base. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils and are in diameter on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long with three thread-like

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s at the base. The

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are long and keeled, red on the inside and green outside. The petals are red, long and the

corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

consists of two rings of filaments, the outer ring yellow and long and the inner series whitish and usually long. The

gynophore A gynophore is the stalk of certain flowers which supports the gynoecium (the ovule-producing part of a flower), elevating it above the branching points of other floral parts. Plant genera that have flowers with gynophores include '' Telopea'', ''P ...

is long and there are five

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and three styles. Flowering occurs from September to January and the fruit is a green

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

Taxonomy

''Passiflora cinnibarina'' was first formally described in 1855 by

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

in ''The Gardeners' Chronicle and Agricultural Gazette'' from plants grown from seed collected by " Lieut.-Colonel Sir Thomas Mitchell". The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''cinnibarina'') is a Latin words meaning

vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since ancient history, antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its correspondi ...

Distribution and habitat

Red passionflower grows along rivers in rainforest and forest, often in rocky sites and occurs from northern New South Wales, along the coast and ranges through the Australian Capital Territory to eastern Victoria. It has also become naturalised in a few sites in Tasmania.

Ecology

The seeds of ''P. cinnabarina'' are spread by birds and possibly mammals and the plant has become an environmental weed in Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Use in horticulture

This climber can be propagated from seed or from cuttings and can be grown in full sun to semi shade. It is relatively frost-tolerant but requires moist soil.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q12639355 cinnabarina Flora of Australia Plants described in 1855 Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Taxa named by John Lindley