Passiflora caerulea L., 1753

Verloove, Filip, 2021, New records in vascular plants alien to Tenerife (Spain, Canary Islands), Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 62878-62878 : 62878

Passiflora caerulea L., 1753

Passiflora caerulea Sp. Pl. 2: 959-960. 1753.

Distribution

TENERIFE: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Barranco Santos close to La Ermita, dry riverbed, a single individual, 13.11.2016, F. Verloove 12690 (BR). https://observation.org/observation/205287176/

Notes

This South American species (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) is one of the most widely grown passion fruits. It easily escapes and subsequently naturalises. Although several species of this genus have been reported from the Canary Islands, Passiflora caerulea apparently is lacking in contemporary flora lists and databases (e.g. Acebes Ginovés et al. 2010). Its local escape, however, already was reported at the beginning of the 20th century. Lindinger (1926) found it in La Laguna where it was reproducing clonally and considered to be harmful. In recent times, its presence in this area was confirmed: the species was found in the dry river bed of the Santos ravine in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in November 2016.

Passiflora caerulea is easily separated from the other species found as escapes in the Canary Islands, even at the vegetative stage, by its large, almost reniform stipules.