Wild Passion Fruit

3 years ago
36

Passiflora foetida (common names: stinking passionflower, wild maracuja, bush passion fruit, wild water lemon,stoneflower, love-in-a-mist, or running pop) is a species of passion flower that is native to the southwestern United States (southern Texas and Arizona), Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and much of South America. It has been introduced to tropical regions around the world,such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, Hawaii, Africa, and The Maldives. It is a creeping vine like other members of the genus, and yields an edible fruit.The specific epithet, foetida, means "stinking" in Latin and refers to the strong aroma emitted by damaged foliage.

This passion flower tolerates arid ground, but favours moist areas. It is known to be an invasive species in some areas. This plant is also a widely grown perennial climber, and has been used in traditional medicine.

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