Do Passionflowers Contain Carpels?

Passionflower's unique appearance has fascinated plant lovers and botanists.

Passionflower (Passiflora ) has long been used in lessons on plant morphology. The blooms are bisexual, with the bulbous ovary at the base of each flower. Inside the ovary are three carpels, usually fused into a single cell. Carpels produce the flower's seeds.

Flower Characteristics

Passionflowers usually have five petals and five sepals, giving the appearance of 10 petals. They are distinguished by the corona of slender, colored filaments radiating out from the flower's center. Stamens and styles are perched on a stalk above the petals.

Reproduction

Passionflowers are pollinated by insects and birds. Once pollination and fertilization have taken place, the ovary swells into a fleshy passion fruit containing many seeds. Seed distribution occurs when animals eat the fruit and then excrete the seeds.

Fun Facts

Though often perceived as tropical plants, some species of passionflower can survive in cold winter climates. These include the purple-flowered Passiflora incarnata, also known as maypop, which is native to the United States and grows as far north as Pennsylvania and Illinois.

References

• "Passalong Plants"; Steve Bender and Felder Rushing; 1993
• "The Botanical Garden, V I"; Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix; 2002