Passionfruit family : PASSIFLORACEAE (DILLENIIDAE) in Australia

Flower Families

Don Herbison-Evans (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) & Christine Ashe

Plant Classes

Passiflora alata Fragrant Granadilla Wyee, April 2008	Passiflora 'Amethyst' Lavender Lady Wyee, October 2005	Passiflora aurantia Blunt-leafed Passionflower Magnetic Island Photo: courtesy of Donald Simpson	Passiflora coccinea Scarlet Passion Flower Bundaberg, October 2006
Passiflora edulis Passionfruit Wyee, January 2007	Passiflora foetida Stinking Passion Flower Magnetic Island, December 2008 Photo: courtesy of Donald Simpson	Passiflora herbertiana Herbert's Passionfruit Wyee, August 2008	Passiflora "Coral Glow" Coral Passion Flower Wyee, January 2007

Passiflora suberosa Corky Passionfruit Magnetic Island, June 2009 Photo: courtesy of Donald Simpson

Turnera ulmifolia Yellow Alder Magnetic Island Photo: courtesy of Donald Simpson

Plants in this family are the foodplants of the caterpillars of several species of Australian butterflies and moths. The evolution of the small nodules found on many PASSIFLORACEAE species are possibly the reaction of the plant to butterfly and moth eggs being laid on the stalks. These nodules look like Lepidoptera eggs. For moth and butterfly species that lay single eggs, the female may bypass a plant with these nodules, and lay her eggs on another that has no obvious eggs on it already. Australian Lepidoptera species with caterpillars known to feed on PASSIFLORACEAE include:

Acraea andromacha

Vindula arsinoe

Cethosia cydippe

Cethosia penthesilea

Teia anartoides

Sphenarches anisodactylus

Opogona glycyphaga