The Parts of the Passion Flower
- Bold passion flowers grow on passionvine.passion flower image by Kirby Fleischman from Fotolia.com
The plant often called passion flower is actually a type of vine (passionvine) that is prized for its unusual blossoms, which have inspired legends and stories over the years. The passion flower is an incredibly complex type of plant, made up of many different parts. Knowing the parts of the passion flower is essential to correct identification of this plant. - Every other passion flower petal is actually a sepal.passion flower 3 image by Pat Lalli from Fotolia.com
Passion flowers get their distinctive look from the petals and sepals of the plant. The flower itself, which grows in a wide variety of colors, reaches up to 6 inches in diameter. Passion flowers commonly grow in warm regions of South America, though they may be cultivated in gardens. Look closely at the ten petals of the passion flower, and you'll see they aren't all petals at all. Every other petal is actually a sepal, a bit less flat than the actual flower petals themselves. Together, the petals and sepals create the open, spreading design of passion flowers. - When you look closely at passion flowers, you'll see purple stems that are actually reproductive organs.passion flower image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
All flowers, including the passion flower, have reproductive organs which either create or receive pollen. In male passion flowers, an anther and filament create a stamen. Pollen comes out of the anthers and carried by insects to female passion flowers. The stigma accepts the pollen, sending it through a tiny tube into the female flower's ovary. Once pollinated and germinated, the ovary ripens into passion flower fruit which creates seeds - baby flowers, if you will. The reproductive organs of the passion flower are highly-visible as long, white and purple stems. A small crown that looks like purple fuzz will develop over these sensitive organs. - Passion flower fruits are lemon-sized and yellow in color. The fruits of the passion flower are distinguishable by the attached stalk known as a gynophore. The taste of the fruit varies by species, becoming sweeter or more sour in different varieties of passion flowers. The juice of the passion fruit is widely marketed and used in culinary purposes.
