Passiflora herbertiana

Native passionfruit
	Flowers
	Unripe native passion fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Passifloraceae
Genus:	Passiflora
Species:	P. herbertiana
Binomial name
	Passiflora herbertiana; Ker Gawl.

Passiflora herbertiana, or native passionfruit, is a widespread climbing twiner native to moist forests on the coast and ranges of eastern Australia. The subspecies P. h. insulae-howei P.S.Green is endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.^[1]

Description

The leaves are usually 3-lobed usually with a slightly hairy undersurface; 6–12 cm long; with petioles mostly 1.5–4 cm long, with 2 glands at the apex. Stipules are linear, mostly 1–3 mm long. The flowers are 6 cm wide and yellow to orange. The following green berry is 50 mm long with pale spots.^[2]

The insulae-howei subspecies is similar: the leaves are usually 4–8 cm long and 5–8 cm wide. The solitary, orange-yellow to greenish flowers, 60 mm across, appear from October to March. The oval green fruits are 40–50 mm long; they are edible but sickly-sweet.^[1]^[3]

Distribution and habitat

The insulae-howei subspecies is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, where it is widespread.^[1]^[3]

Flammability & building protection

Passiflora herbertiana is included in the Tasmanian Fire Service's list of low flammability plants, indicating that it is suitable for growing within a building protection zone.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Passiflora herbertiana subsp. insulae-howei". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Retrieved 2014-02-27.
^ Passiflora herbertiana plant profile, PlantNET
^ ^a ^b Hutton, Ian (1998). The Australian Geographic Book of Lord Howe Island. Sydney: Australian Geographic. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-876276-27-0.
^ Chladil and Sheridan, Mark and Jennifer. "Fire retardant garden plants for the urban fringe and rural areas" (PDF). www.fire.tas.gov.au. Tasmanian Fire Research Fund.