Passiflora caerulea
NPPA pest plant
Common name
blue passion flower
Family
Passifloraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Lianes & Related Trailing Plants - Dicotyledons
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial. Coastal areas, lowlands, light gaps, prefers fertile soil (DOC, 1998). Forest margins and scrub, roadsides wastelands, farm and orchard hedges, domestic gardens.
Features
Hairless vine with angular shoots. Leaves deeply 5-lobed and thin, middle lobe 3.5-8.5 cm long. Flowers purple/white, December-April.
Similar taxa
Can be separated from all other passiflora by at least some of the leaves having 5 lobes. Very distinctive blue flowers in summer.
Flowering
December, January, February, March, April.
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Life cycle
Perennial. Reproduces from seed, but also spreads vegetatively over large distances. Many viable seeds are borne in each fruit. Dispersed by blackbirds, fruit is also eaten by possums.
Year naturalised
1958
Origin
S. Brazil to Argentina
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Tolerances
Is the most cold tolerant of all passiflora species in NZ.
Etymology
passiflora: Passionflower
caerulea: From the Latin caeruleus ‘sky blue’
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
References and further reading
Heenan, PB; Sykes, WR 2003. Passiflora (Passifloraceae) in New Zealand: a revised key with notes on distribution. NZ J Botany 41: 217-221. DOI: 10.1080/0028825X.2003.9512842