Passion flowers

Few flowers and fruits have stirred the imagination like those from the passion flowers. The big showy flowers and juicy fruits have had a long association with both romance and religion. A passion flower’s unique floral structure often requires a special pollinator: most notably large bees, bats or hummingbirds.

The fruits are typically round or oval and edible; the most famous fruit comes from the passion fruit plant (Passiflora edulis) which is widely cultivated for the flesh and juice. There are more than 500 species of passion flower found worldwide; most of them are vines, however, there are a few shrub species.

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