Passiflora herbertiana | The Italian Collection of Maurizio Vecchia

Passiflora herbertiana, information, classification, temperatures. etymology of Passiflora herbertiana. Discover the Italian Passiflora Collection by Maurizio Vecchia.

Passiflora herbertiana | The Italian Collection of Maurizio Vecchia

Systematics (J. Macdougal et al., 2004)

SUBGENUS: decaloba
SUPERSECTION: disemma
SECTION: disemma


GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OR ORIGIN:

Australia.  


MINIMUM TEMPERATURE: 8 °C


IDEAL MINIMUM TEMPERATURE: 12 °C


SYNONYMS:

P. biglandulosa Caley, P. verruculosa Weinm.


ETYMOLOGY:

Dedicated to the English botanist and botanist illustrator William Herbert (1778 - 1847). 


NOTES:

Chromosomes: n=6, 2n=12


PHOTOGALLERY:


DESCRIPTION:

This species, native to Australia, is among the few passionflowers that are not found in nature on the American continents. It is very similar to P. cinnabarina, from which it differs by its lighter coloured flowers, usually a very pale yellow rather than brick red.

It can acclimatise outdoors, with protection, if necessary, in Italian areas where there are only sporadic and short-lived frosts. In this case it can grow up to about 5 metres. Elsewhere, it makes a pleasant pot plant, with generous and continuous flowering all summer, provided it is grown in rich, well-drained soil. Stagnant water and root rot can render it short-lived.

The whole plant is covered with a slight tomentosity. Its leaves, at least 6-7 cm wide and long, have three pointed lobes. The petiole, 2-3 mm from the junction with the leaf, bears two symmetrical dark-coloured glands.

The flowers, about 7 cm in diameter, are star-shaped with long petals and pointed sepals. The sepals are characteristic, being at least 1 cm longer than the petals, giving the appearance of two flowers with 5 petals superimposed on each other. The shade of colour is also slightly different, with the petals lighter, almost white, and the sepals more yellow or yellow-green. The latter also have wavy margins, especially towards the apex.

The corona of 5 series of filaments, coloured a decisive yellow, is short and leans against the androgynophore. The flower is therefore dominated by various shades of yellow, some closer to white, others to green.

The fruits, with an elongated ellipsoidal shape, up to 6-7 cm long, are green even when ripe and contain a fragrant and edible gelatinous aril. This is a precious passionflower as it is really difficult to propagate from cuttings, even though it lends itself to being grafted onto other species or propagated from offshoots. The best way to reproduce it is therefore from seed.