Passiflora: Passionflowers of the World

by Torsten Ulmer, John M. MacDougal

Since they were first described in Europe in the 16th century, passionflowers have held a special fascination among plant collectors for their bold, beautiful, complicated blossoms and delectable passionfruits. Most are perennial climbers, but some are trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, or even annuals, and all lend a dramatic, tropical flavor to any situation. Since they have such a broad range of cultivation requirements, passionflowers can be grown by just about anyone, and cold-hardy species can be grown outdoors year-round. This authoritative, comprehensive volume describes 207 Passiflora species and 31 hybrids. A chapter is devoted to the remarkable coevolution of passionflowers with Heliconius butterflies, which many passionflower enthusiasts now raise alongside flowering vines in the greenhouse. As lushly illustrated as it is informative, Passionflowers of the World reveals the immense variation found among members of this extraordinary genus.

432 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first moved to the Caribbean, I saw a vine with little purple and white flowers, very ornate, and nearby bright orange berries covered in a oretty lacy green shroud. I asked if they were edible and the answer was, "Much people round here don't really eat those", which is local lingo for 'deadly poisonous' as no one likes being too negative in their conversation. Not a day later I saw the same flower but huge with large (goose egg-size) orange fruits and was told they were passionfruit. So I ate the wild ones: they, like wild strawberries and wild blackberries were far, far more flavourful than the cultivated variety. And thereby started my love of passionfruits which reached fulfillment in this wonderful book showing 240 different varieties of bloom and fruit. Whether you like plant books because they are pretty or because you might like to grow the plants or just because you collect art books, this is an outstandingly beautiful one, a treasure to own.

[Martin Witchard]

For an ex-botanist like myself this book is a sheer delight. Well researched and written it is an excellent overview of the many species in the genus Passiflora. You might only know about the edible passionfruit but there are many other beautiful climbers and a couple of trees in this group of plants!