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, Passiflora: Passionflowers of the World reveals the immense variation found among members of this extraordinary genus.

Reviews

What a wonderful book for a single kind of plant! It has everything you expect to know about the Passiflora genus.

Like most Passiflora growers, I'm a fanatic. This is a fascinating thing because, before getting interested in passiflora, the only plants I was interested in growing was okra, tomatoes and squash. Anyway, I remembered the extraordinary perfume of passion flowers from my childhood and was hooked. Part of the reason I was hooked is because it wasn't easy. Most passion flowers hate cold weather so I built a jury-rig greenhouse. My passion for these exotic vines led me to purchase a bunch of varieties and, first thing you know, I found myself carrying heavy pots between yard and greenhouse twice a year. Good exercise, maybe, but not good for my back. A few varieties bloomed profusely but most bloomed only occasionally or rarely. I began to question my sanity. One of my major problems was that--because I live WAY out in the country--I have abundant hispid cotton rats and, despite the claims that the vines contain cyanogens, these miserable rodents chew them off about an inch from the ground just like little beavers. The first thing I notice is wilting leaves as the entire plant dies. These #%^*# have cost me 1,000 dollars or more. I'm not a rat lover--traps, poisons, shooting--I'd machinegun them if I could. Nothing has done any good. Those of you who complain about caterpillars are sissies. You haven't known a passion flower problem until you have 100 cotton rats or more. Anyway, this book is a winner. It has all the biologic, taxonomic, cultivation, propagation and geographic information you can stand. Don't believe them about rooting them in water, though. I've tried it--nothing. I bought an EZ Clone gadget and now it's working. The photos are wonderful unfortunately [or fortunately] most of these varieties aren't available to me. One of the best things about this book is that I bought in an arboretum in ARIZONA. Yep, Arizona, the state that had the guts and wisdom to stand up to Barack Hussein Obama. I'm glad to support them any way I can, even if it is just to purchase a book or a cactus. By the way, I'm a little wiser, too. I live in South Texas and have decided not to fight it. Passiflora incarnata and 'Incense' are going bonkers and overwinter beautifully--no hauling pots. Most of my yard is covered by their vines and I have a riot of gorgeous flowers. They run underground, like Bermuda grass, and are protected from the frost. I've given up cutting my grass. I'd rather have a passion flower lawn. Yeah, I love caerula-alata, too. They're more trouble but the perfume is worth it.

This is very good scientific treatment of the genus Passiflora, and is also the most complete treatment of the genus available in book form. It contains a wealth of information, from purely taxonomic data, to horticultural information and natural history. The species descriptions are short but informative, and most are accompanied by leaf illustrations that are useful for checking identifications. The color plates are numerous and do an excellent job of documenting Passiflora diversity, both morphological as well as socio-economic. Although many species are not treated here (about half the genus is missing), this does represent the most complete standalone treatment of the genus available to date. Most of those species that any layman or casually interested botanist is likely to encounter are included, and a table at the beginning lists the approximate numbers of species for all infrageneric taxa, which should help those studying diversity in the genus. Photographs of every listed species are included in the color plates, including numerous rare and infrequently documented taxa, further increasing the scientific value of this book. There are also short chapters on passion fruits, regional descriptions of Passiflora diversity (Belize and the Atlantic forest of Brazil, respectively), cultivation, and more. Definitely a worthwhile purchase for anyone interested in the genus.

I've found this book to be more than informative. It helped me to identify a volunter that sprouted up in my garden. This book gives you information on the history, cultivation, propagation (various forms), and most inmortantly in depth descriptions with beautifull color photos. It make you want to have all the passion flowers you see! It also has info on the butterflies that feed on them. I would recommend this book if you really are into passion flowers.

Hundreds of gorgeous photographs and lots of information about a flower that is not well known, beyond the usual nursery varieties. Passionflowers are a spectacular species and this volume tells you how to grow them, where they are found, the legend associated with Christ's crown of thorns and even more detailed knowledge for horticulturists or biologists. It's a good buy just for the pictures alone. The authors are experts, yet communicate clearly for everyone. Some of these flowers are out of this world!

This Book Is In French.