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Issue No. 6 | JuNe 2015 sub sole sub umbra virens

O N L I N E J O U R N A L

THIs MoNTH’s Issue Passiflora cross-pollination. Bogotá Botanical Gardens. Peru native species loss. Tacsonia propagation. Passiflora ‘scorpius’ and more.

Contents Issue 6

04 Tacsonia air layering By Hikoku Nakagawa Propagation using sphagnum moss.

10 Passiflora cross-pollination By Emma Cattell & Myles Irvine A photo essay.

35 Passiflora ‘scorpius’ By L.A. King A new hardy hybrid.

38 Bogotá Botanical Gardens By Hernan Dario Bernal A guided tour.

48 Dysosmia By Harlan T. svoboda Untangling the systematics.

56 Peru: The loss of native species By Boris Esquerre Ibáñez Fears for the future.

70 Baked sea bream recipe By Sébastien Larique A tasty treat.

O N L I N E J O U R N A L

sub sole sub umbra virens

Issue 6 JuNe 2015 IssN 2046-8180

edITor, LayouT & PuBLIsHer

Myles Irvine - [email protected]

assoCIaTe edITors

Luís Lopes Shawn Mattison Kyle Rahrig Front Cover: Passiflora ‘Byte’ by Dr Roland Fischer 2012 © Myles Irvine

Inside Cover: Passiflora ‘Panda’ by Dr Roland Fischer 2012 © Myles Irvine

Back Cover: Passiflora ‘Clear Sky’ Dr Roland Fischer 2012 © Myles Irvine

We invite submissions from all Passiflora enthusiasts, from cartoons, garden tales, recipes and growing tips to articles about new species and hybrids and reports of wild collecting trips. Please contact the editor as above. Articles in any language are welcome but will be translated and published in English only for reasons of space.

We reserve the right to edit or refuse articles and ask contributors to note that we may be able to offer scientific peer review depending on the topic. Please note that contributors are not paid. Letters to the editor for publication are also welcome.

Note that new species should first be submitted to the appropriate scientific botanical journals so that the validity of the name is established, after which time we may carry an article about them. If you wish to formally register a hybrid, which is optional, you should apply to the Passiflora Cultivar Registrar who, if your application is accepted, will publish your hybrid in the Passiflora Society International Journal & Newsletter.

Terms of useThe Passiflora Online Journal is electronically published in A4 magazine PDF format and is optimised for digital display. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only for your personal or non-commercial use. You may not use this material on a web site or publish it in any way, whether for personal, educational, commercial or non-commercial purposes, without express written permission. All pages, graphics & images are Copyright © 2011-2015 Passiflora Online Journal and its contributors. All Rights Reserved.

Publisher’s name: Myles S. IrvinePublisher’s address:18 Hampton Court ParadeEast MoleseySurreyKT8 9HBUnited Kingdom

2 32

P. tarminiana alba © Joana Costa

How to propagate Tacsonia species via air layering using sphagnum moss.

By Hikoku Nakagawa

Passiflora manicata © 2007 Anne Norman4 5

PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 20156 7PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015P. tarminiana alba © Joana Costa P. tarminiana alba © Joana Costa

Preparation ingredients

• NAA(Naphthylacetamide)basedrootingrtyrtyrt solution• Sphagnummoss• Vinylorhempwire• Knifeorscissors• Water• Aluminiumfoil

Dissolve NAA-based rooting solution in watercompletelytocreatea1000-1500ppmsolution

ofNAA.Alternatively,followNAA’sdocumentationon how to prepare rooting solutions. Saturate thesphagnum moss.

Findthebestlocationonthehostplantforthemossroll.Ahardorsemi-woodenstemisthebestcandidate.

Wrap the NAA-saturated sphagnum moss around the stem and secure with wire.

To prevent excessive moisture evaporation and respiration by the new roots, wrap with aluminum foil.

PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 20158 9PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015P. x exoniensis (centre) & P. ‘Grandioso’ © Frank Rene StausholmP. cumbalensis © Sebastián Rendón G

P. cumbalensis © Sebastián Rendón G

P. cumbalensis © Sebastián Rendón G

Rootingcanusuallybeobservedwithinsixweeks.Gentlycuttherootedstemfromthehostandplantinfree-drainingandmoisture-retainingsubstratessuchasamixofperliteandpeat-basedsoil.Placeinashadedareatograduallyacclimatise.ThefollowingTacsonia specieshavebeensuccessfullyrootedusingthistechnique.

• P. manicata• P.tripartitavar.mollissima• P.mathewsii• P.parritae• P.cumbalensis• P.mixta• P.antioquiensis

ItisquitepossiblethatotherlesscommonTacsonia speciesmaybepropagatedwiththistechnique,buttheyaredifficulttofindinJapan.

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P. ‘Silly Cow’ © Myles Irvine

Passiflora cross-pollination A photo essay by Emma Cattell & Myles Irvine

10 11

1. Ready to start. Materials required:-Two different Passiflora plants in flower.Scissors.Forceps.Small paper price labels.Staedtler Lumocolour permanent black medium marker pen.Wedding favour organza bags 10cm x 15cmA nice cup of tea.

12 13

14

P. macrophylla P. occidentalis sp complex

P. occidentalis sp complex

2. Bud ready to open.

14 15

16

P. Barbadine fruit © Jean-Jacques Segalen

P. alata fruit © Jean-Jacques Segalen

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P. tarminiana fruit © Jean-Jacques Segalen

P.suberosa fruit © Jean-Jacques Segalen

P. arbelaezii

P. palenquensis

Unidentified Astrophea P. alnifolia

3. Slipping an organza bag over the bud to prevent the bees from pollinating it.

16 17

Passiflora ‘Poseidon’

18 19

P. ‘Poseidon’ © 2011 Eric Wortman

P. ‘Poseidon’ © 2011 Eric Wortman Landscape where P. mixta is found.P. mixta 4. Taking fresh pollen from the donor flower.

4. Taking fresh pollen from the donor flower.

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P. sidifolia© 2011 Eric Wortman

P. umbilicata© 2011 Eric Wortman

P. herbertiana

5. Applying pollen with forceps to the stigmas of the recipient flower after removing the bag. It is replaced immediately after. Record both parents with a permanent marker pen on the paper price label.

2120

22

P. herbertiana

P. herbertianaP. actinia

P. actinia

P. herbertiana

P. x belotii

P. x allardii

P. ‘Blue Stripper’

6. It may be easier to cross-fertilise flowers if the pollen is applied before the flower opens.

22 23

P. talamancensis © 2011 John Vanderplank

P. ‘Constance Eliott’

7. Cutting off the tips of the petals and sepals to reveal the stigmas.

24 2525

P. adenopoda fruit’ © 2011 JJohn Vanderplank 8. Applying pollen from the donor flower.

26 27

P. ‘Avalanche’ © Jiří Částek

9. Plenty of pollen safely applied. 10. Record both parents with a permanent marker pen.

28 29

Passiflora punctata L. and its capricious lamina’s1 shapes in Northern Peruby Boris Esquerre Ibáñez Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz

Gallo, Lambayeque, Peru

10. Record both parents with a permanent marker pen.

12. Fresh pollen can be stored. Air dry in full sun for two days and ideally brush off the anthers.

10. Record both parents with a permanent marker pen.

12. Success! At this stage, remove the tag and transfer the parent information onto the fruit itself.11. Immediately bag the flower.

30 31

13. Fresh pollen can be stored. Air dry on paper in a sunny window for two days .

32 33

34 PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015

14. Put in a labelled airtight container with silica gel desiccant. Keep in the fridge until needed. Allow to warm up before use and apply with a camel hair brush.

All images © 2012 Emma Cattell All Rights reserved. http://www.emmacattell.com

produceditsfirstflowers.IthasbeennamedasP. ‘Scorpius’(Figure 2).Meanwhile,thereciprocalcross(P. caerulea × P. ‘Lunametista’)hasyettoflower.

TherearenowmanyhybridsbasedoncrossesbetweenP. caerulea and either of the two forms ofP. loefgrenii (seeTable 1). I have grownP. ‘Lunametista’,P. ‘Lambiekins’andP.‘BettyMylesYoung’forseveralyears,butnonehasproven hardy enough to survive winters outside at mylocation.Myobjectiveincreatingyetanotherhybridwiththisparentagewas therefore toproducea tougherplant.

Passiflora ‘Scorpius’: a new hardy hybridby L.A. King

Passiflora ‘Lunametista’ (P. caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’(♀) × P. loefgrenii‘Iporanga’(♂); Figure 1)wascreatedbyMaurizioVecchia;itfirstfloweredin2005.

In 2009, I crossed P. ‘Lunametista’ with P. caerulea. Unusually, the pollen of P. ‘Lunametista’ proved to befertile,andIwasabletocreateviableoffspringfrombothcrossingdirections.However,itwasnotuntillatesummer2012 that the hybrid P. ‘Lunametista’ × P. caerulea

Figure 1 P. ‘Lunametista’©L.A.King35

PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 201536 37PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015P. antioquiensis © Joana Costa

Sincesummer2010,P. ‘Scorpius’hasbeengrowninsoiloutdoorsagainstaSouth-facinghousewall.Ithaswithstoodtwoparticularlycoldwinterswithtemperaturesreaching-15oCforshortperiods. Inthis respect,P. ‘Scorpius’hasshownitselftobeasdurableasP. caerulea,andnoticeablyhardierthananyotherhybridthatIhaveevergrown.This

hardiness isperhapsnottoosurprisingsince75%ofthegenome derives from P. caerulea. By contrast, the otherhybrids shown in Table 1 have a smaller contributionfrom P. caerulea.WhatisfurthersurprisingisthatthedeepcolourationofthepetalsfoundinP.‘Lunametista’andP. ‘BettyMylesYoung’(Figure3),forexample,hasnotbeen

‘diluted’outinP. ‘Scorpius’.Apartfromitshardiness,atfirstglance,P.‘Scorpius’looksmuchlikeP.‘BettyMylesYoung’.Fortunately,P. ‘Scorpius’ canbedistinguished

Figure 2 P. ‘Scorpius’©L.A.King Figure 3 P. ‘BettyMylesYoung’©L.A.King

Table 1HybridsofP. loefgreniiandP. caerulea

Hybrid Male parent Female parentP. ‘BettyMylesYoung’ P. loefgrenii‘Iporanga’ P. ‘ClearSky’P. ‘BlueSurprise’ P. loefgrenii‘Iporanga’ P. caerulea

P. ‘ConnorCailean’ P. caerulea P. loefgrenii‘Corupa’P.‘Lambiekins’ P. loefgrenii‘Iporanga’ P. ‘EmilKugler’P. ‘Lunametista’ P. loefgrenii‘Iporanga’ P. caerulea‘ConstanceEliott’P. ‘Scorpius’ P. caerulea P. ‘Lunametista’

Note: Inaddition,P.‘PurplePendulum’isalsobelievedtobeahybridofP. loefgreniiandP. caerulea,buttheformofP. loefgreniiusedandthecrossingdirectionhavenotbeenpublished

Table 2RelationshipbetweenmeanpedunclelengthofcertainhybridsofP. loefgreniiandP. caeruleaandtheproportionofP. caerulea in the genome.

Hybrid Peduncle length % P. caeruleaP. loefgrenii 18 0P.‘BlueSurprise’ 10 50P.‘ConnorCailean’ 13 50P. ‘Lambiekins’ 10 50P.‘Lunametista’ 18 50P.‘BettyMylesYoung’ 16 58P. ‘Scorpius’ 9 75P. caerulea 4 100

fromP. ‘BettyMylesYoung’andmostoftheotherhybrids by its short peduncle (SeeTable 2) and acombinationoffloralandothervegetativefeatures.

PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 201538 39PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015

P. x exoniensis © Frank Rene Stausholm

The José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden inBogotáisapeacefulplace.Tuckedawayfromthebustleofthecity,itisanexcellentplacetospenda

dayorjustanafternoontakingadvantageofthefreshairandbirdsongswhileexploringacollectionofmore than18thousandlivingplantspecimens.Theplantsarebothnative and exotic, commonand rare; some to thepointofbeingindangerofextinction.Itisthelargestbotanicalgarden in Colombia with a total area of 20 hectares.Located in theBogotá savannah, at an altitude of 2600meters,itispartofacomplexofgreenareaswithinthecitythatalsoincludestheSimónBolivarandElSalitreparks.

José Celestino Mutis by R. Cristobal

The José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden in Bogotá By Hernan Dario Bernal.

havenot been collected since or have been rediscoveredonly recently.

Fig.1 Statue of José Celestino Mutis at the entrance of the Bogotá Botanical Garden.

Pioneers in America

The Bogotá Botanical Garden is named after the 18thcentury Spanish priest JoséCelestinoMutis, one of thefirstpersons to systematically study thenaturalwondersof theAmericas. In 1783Mutis started collecting plantandanimal specimens in themunicipalityofMariquita,in the department ofTolima, sponsored by the Spanishcrown.Itwasalsofromthatlocationthatoneofthemostambitiousscientificexpeditionsofthetimewaslaunched–theRoyalBotanicalExpedition.For33years,Mutisandhisco-workerscataloguedmorethan20thousandplantsand 7 thousand animals and founded Colombia’s firstbotanicalgarden.Mutisandhisskilledteamofnaturalistsand artists left uswithhundreds ofwonderful prints ofcatalogued species aswell asdetaileddescriptionsof thecollecteditemsandtypespecimens.Someofthesespecies

Fig. 2 Passiflora azeroana, named after the painter Lino José de Azero. This print was used as type specimen for the species. This species was rediscovered in the 1950s and collected again in the 1990s, near Bogotá.

ThesymbolofthebotanicalgardenistheflowerofMutisia clematis.FirstdescribedbyLinnaeus,andnamedinhonorof Mutis, the plant is noteworthy in that it belongs tothe only genus of the Compositae family that includesclimbers.Todaymorethan50speciesaredescribedinthegenus Mutisia.

Fig. 3 A panel at the entrance of the garden depicting Mutisia clematis, the symbol of the Botanical Garden.

PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 201540 41PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015P. x exoniensis © Frank Rene Stausholm

Fig.4 Mutisia clematis growing over a trellis in the garden.

Despite the massive body of work by Mutis and hissuccessors,itwasnotuntil1955thattheBogotáBotanicalGardenwas funded, through the jointwork ofEnriquePérez Arbeláez, a priest, and Señora Teresa Arango deBueno.Together they collected and organized a gardenwith native plants from Colombia. This seminal worklater resulted in thebook“PlantasÚtilesdeColombia”,forwhichProf.Arbeláezgainednationalandinternationalprominence. After his death the garden followed hisoriginaldesignforsometime.Later,otherpersonalities,scientists,andprofessionalmembersofColombiansocietyformedacommunitythathashelpedthegardenevolvetoits present state.

A Walk Through the Garden

Depending on the season, it is possible to participateinmany of the programs offered by the garden besidestaking a walk to observe its many attractions. Amongtheseorganizedevents,thereisthebutterflyhouse,whichisopentothepublic inJanuary,visitsatdawntowatchnativeandmigratorybirdsthatmakeastopinthegarden,andEco-YogasessionsthattakeplaceeverySunday.

Fig. 5 Exposition of hummingbird sculptures in the rose garden; an event organized in cooperation with the Botanical Garden of Quito, Ecuador.

During the week, groups of students of all levels learnabout the plants and ecosystems in Colombia thanksto guided tours provided by the specialized staff of thegarden.Onweekendsitisnotuncommontoseevisitorsfromabroad,whohavetravelledtomarvelattheuniqueplants of Colombia and to visit the replicas of variousColombianecosystems.

Thegardenmaintainsseveralbiologicalcollections;oneofwhichisthepalmcollectionwithmanyspeciesrepresented.Perhaps themost interesting, theWaxPalmofQuindío(Ceroxylonquidiuense),isthelargestmonocotyledonplantintheworldandthenationaltreeofColombia.

Fig.6Pathway to the conservatories surrounded by Wax Palm of Quindío (Ceroxylon quindiuense); the national tree ofColombia.

Anotherimportantcollectionisthatoforchids,manyofwhich are reproduced in vitro in the laboratories of thebotanical garden and canbe seen inside the complexofconservatoriesopentothepublic.

Fig. 9 A replica of a royal pathway (built by the Spanish as anearlysystemofroutes)insideacloudforestenvironment.

Fig. 7 Inside the orchid conservatory the beautiful “Flor de Mayo”(Cattleyatrianae)standsunmatched.Itisthenationalflower of Colombia.

Both inside and outside the conservatories the gardencontainsdetailedreplicasofseveralColombianecosystems.Perhaps themost attractive of the conservatories is thatof the tropical rain forest featuring a lake crownedwithyoung Victoria amazonica water plants and populatedby turtles and the occasional iguana; someof themanyanimalsinthegarden.Thelakeissurroundedbyanarrowpath almost overgrown with lush vegetation from theColombianlowlands.

Fig. 8 Inside the tropical rainforest conservatory.

Outside the conservatories, one can enjoy the songsof thediversewildbirds that both inhabit and visit thegardens almost as itwouldhavebeenwhen theSpanishtrekkedstonepathsconstructedthroughthecloudforests.One can also encounter scattered replicas of indigenousdwellingsthroughoutthegarden’sinstallations.

Fig. 10 Passiflora tarminiana growing over a Maloka*.

Fig. 11 Passiflora bogotensis growing next to a Maloka.

PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 201542 43PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015P. ‘Grandioso’ © Frank Rene Stausholm P. ‘Grandioso’ © Frank Rene Stausholm

Fig. 12 Hollow fruit of Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima possibly eaten by birds.

InColombia Passiflora tarminiana is known as ‘CurubaIndia’, Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima as ‘Curuba deCastilla’anditshybridswithPassiflora mixtaandPassiflora cumbalensissimplyas‘Curuba’.Passiflora ligularis is known as‘Granadilla’whereasPassiflora edulis var. edulis is known as‘Gulupa’or‘CurubaMorado’.

Passiflora in the Botanical Garden

Asexpected,thegardencontainsmanyspeciesofPassiflora. Itwouldbeashameifthiswasnotthe case as José Celestino Mutis, towhom the garden is dedicated,was enamoredwiththebeautyofthegenusandhimselfdescribedseveralspecies such as Passiflora parritae, Passiflora lehmannii,Passiflora azeroanaandPassifloramariquitensis.Allofthesehadbeenlosttosciencesincethecolonialperiodandwererediscovered only recently. During this time, they wereonlyknownfromtheexquisiteprintsproducedbyMutisandhisteam.

Some species, originating in the Bogotá savanna, growspontaneously inside the garden such as: Passiflora bogotensis, Passiflora manicata, Passiflora tarminiana, Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima, Passiflora ligularis, andPassiflora edulis var edulis.Thelatterfourspeciesareof commercial value both inColombia and outside thecountry.ThemostcommonspeciesofPassiflora, Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima,flowersandfruitsallyearinthegardens. It is common to find its hollow fruits on theground,havingbeeneatenbythebirdsthatthendisperseseedsthroughoutthegarden.

Fig.13 Fruits of Passiflora edulis var. edulis grown in the food nurseries of the garden.

The huge number of flowers in the garden year roundattracts an enormous insect population of all kinds;amongstwhom the bees and bumblebees are themajorpollinating agents for flowering plants in the garden.ThankstothelaborsofinsectsandbirdsonecanevenfindfruitsofotherPassiflora speciescultivated ina systemofsmallfood-gardenplots.Theseareasareusedtoproducefood plants for human consumption that are then usedin urban agriculture programs implemented throughoutBogotáinneighborhoodswithlimitedeconomicmeans.

Fig. 14 Bombus sp. bee visiting flower of Passiflora ligularis.

When the Tacsonia Go Wild

It is awell-known fact thatTacsonia species aredifficulttocultivateandmaintainincountrieswithmoreextremeclimates.Insomecases,itmaybethesoil.Inotherstheygrowweakly because of temperature and low humidity,whippedviciouslybysummerheatorwintercold. Thismakesithardforplantsgrownabroadtodevelopthelushmagnificence they achieve in their natural habitats, thehigh-altitudeslopesoftheAndes.**

Inthebotanicalgarden,itispossibletoseehowmagnificentTacsonia can become. Colombia has more species ofTacsonia thananycountryintheworld.Thisdiversity ispartiallyduetothelocalseparationoftheAndesintothreehigh mountain ranges; each having produced differentspecies.Theisolationofspeciesindistinctpocketsofforestintheserangespromotesspeciationovertime.Bogotá,inparticular,isinaprivilegedlocationforthecultivationofmany Tacsonia. Withthe fertile soilof thesavanna, theplantsattainunimaginablesizesandhavelonglifespans.

Fig. 15 Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima growing over, and partially covering, the pathways in the cloud forest.

ThePassiflora tripartita var. mollissimadepictedinFigure15 is growing over trees more than 10 meters high inthe region of the garden dedicated to the cloud forest.Apparently the plant is more than 30 years old; a factthatisattestedbythehugestembasehiddenintheforestshade.Severalother Tacsoniaspecies,someveryrare,likePassiflora parritae andPassiflora luzmarina,have foundaplaceinthegardentodemonstratetheirfullsplendour.

Fig. 16 The main stem of the giant specimen of Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima.

Fig. 17 The last flowers of a massive display by Passiflora luzmarina.

Fig. 18 The many intertwined stems at the basis of a Passiflora luzmarina.

PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 201544 45PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015P. ‘Grandioso’ © Frank Rene Stausholm

For the delight of many, and thanks to Prof. GustavoMorales, the garden also has two mature specimens ofPassiflora parritae.Unfortunately, only one of the plantsproducesflowers;theotheronlybeautifulandlushfoliagesofar.

Fig. 19 A specimen of Passiflora parritae with massive foliar development.

Fig. 20 The lush development of the foliage in the Passiflora parritae is possibly due to a richness of nitrogen in the soil.

Epilogue

The José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden providesnumerousservicestothecityofBogotá,e.g.theprogramsfor urban agriculture and forestation and also a spacefor the education and entertainment of the population.FurtheritfulfillsanimportantscientificroleforColombiabycultivating,preserving,anddocumentingthousandsofnative plants;many of which are rare and in danger ofextinction.

Editor’s notes

*AMalokaisanindigenousdesignofhouseinColombiaandpartsofPeruwiththe roofmadeofpalmleavesorsimilar.

**Tacsoniacanbeverydifficulttogrowoutsidetheirnativehabitat,asmostwillsuddenlydiebelow-5°Candtheyalsostruggle inhigh temperatureswith lowhumidity. In thewild,manygrowinthe“Páramos”between1700-3000minhumidtosemi-humiduppermontaneforestandforestedges.“Páramos”arezonesofelevationfoundintheAndesofColombia,Ecuador,NorthernPeru&Venezuela.Theyhave a very difficult and variable, though not extreme,climate; often ranging in one day from wet, cold, andwindy to sunny andwarm.Tacsonia thereforehave rootsystemsthatareinadequateforcopingwithmoreextremeconditionswhichcanrapidlycausethemtowiltanddie.

Some of the above information on the Páramos fromHandbookoftheBirdsoftheWorldvol.5,ed.byHoyo,Elliott,andSargatal,1999.


Passiflora bogotensis images © Myles S Irvine


Passiflora foetida var. unknown. Salem, India © Venkat Venkataraju

UntanglingtheSystematicsofDysosmiaby:HarlanT.SvobodaPh.D.studentOhioUniversity,USA


P. ‘Wilgen K. Verhoeff’ © Frank Rene Stausholm

Systematics plays a vital role in understanding thediversityandevolutionaryhistoryofalllivingthingson our planet. Plant systematists, in particular,

are tasked with inventorying approximately 422,000plant species. As part of our attempts to catalog newand existing plants,we utilize taxonomy (the science ofnamingorganisms)andasuiteoftechniquesthathelpusdeterminehowalloftheseplantsarerelatedtoeachother.

MyresearchfocusesonthesystematicsofsectionDysosmia DC. which is currently in supersection Stipulata Feuillet &J.M.MacDougal in subgenusPassiflora (FEUILLET

& MACDOUGAL, 2004). The name “Dysosmia” firstappeared as a Section in Passiflora named by AugustinPyramus de Candolle (1822). Since then, it has beenrevisednearly ten times bydifferent botanistswho eachhaddifferentideasonhowtohandlethisunusualgroupofpassionflowers.AtonepointDysosmiawasevenconsideredits own genus by Max Roemer (1846)! Other notabletreatments of the group also include Maxwell Masters’work (1872) andEllsworthPaineKillip’smonographofthe family inNorthAmerica (KILLIP,1938).Themostrecent revision of Dysosmia, which includes 21 speciesandahandfulofvarieties,camefromJohnVanderplank

(2013)whohasprovidedthemostcomprehensivelookatthisspecificgrouptodate.

Many of the Dysosmia species tend to be relativelydistinctive in flower and/or leaf morphology. However,much of the confusion in understanding this group ofplants—andwhysomanybotanistshavestruggledtoplaceitinthegenus—comesfromthespeciesPassiflora foetida L.Infact,itisnotreallyaclear“species”atallbutratherwhatwecalla“speciescomplex.”Therehavebeennearly50namedvarietiesthathavefallenunder“P. foetida”overthedecades,manyofwhichwereKillip’sdoing.Passiflora ciliataAitonisanotherexampleofaspeciescomplexthatwreakshavoconthetaxonomyofthisgroup.TosummarizewhatnearlyeverybotanistfamiliarwithDysosmiahassaid:P. foetidaisanenormousmess!AsmanyPassiflorabreedersalreadyknow,P. foetidaveryreadilyhybridizesamongstthevarietiesaswellaswithotherspecies.Thisisanightmarewhenitcomestoelucidatingwhatshouldbeconsidereditsownspecies,whatshouldbeavariety(orsubspecies),andwhatshouldbeconsidered“normal”variationwithina species.

All previous botanists dealingwithDysosmia have reliedalmostsolelyonmorphologicaldifferencestoseparateoutspecies(orvarieties)andprovidedverylittle,oftencursory,guessesastowhattherelationshipsmightbebetweenalloftheplants.ThisiswhereIcomein!Myjobasaplantsystematist is to try and answer these questions withscientific rigor. Inmy research Iwill beutilizing several

methodsinthe“systematicstoolbox”toteaseapartthesedifficultplantsandprovideevidenceforhowtheymightberelated.

Likesomanyotherswhohavefocusedonleafvariation,I,too,willspendtimecollectinginformationfromtheleaves.However, Iwill be taking it a step further by analyzingthedatawithrobuststatisticalmodels.Theseanalyseswillhelpprovideanewlineofevidencetodeterminewhethervarious aspects of the leaf (e.g. shape, lobing, hairiness,length, etc.) are good indicators of species/varietalboundaries.

Not only will I be looking at the leaves, but also thesmaller-scalefeaturesincludingstipules,involucralbracts,and glandular trichomes. In doing preliminary studieson these items I have already documented an immenseamount of variation between the species/varieties ofDysosmia!Forexample,whiletheoriginaldescriptionsofP. lepidotaMast.andP. palmeri Rosestatethatbothspeciesbearglands,theyarecompletelydifferentinstructure.Itturnsoutthattheglandson P. lepidotaareshort,bulbous,andstalk-lesswhereastheglandsofP. palmeri have a long stalkwithaglandularheadontop.Thisvariationhasnot

Isotype of P. bahamensis. Photo courtesy of the Field Museum

An involucral bract of P. campanulata.

Holotype of P. foetida var. acapulcensis. Photo courtesy of the United States National Herbarium



yetbeen thoroughlydocumented and is oneof thefirstitemsonmyresearch“to-dolist.”

Thefinal,andperhapsmostexciting,partofmyresearchwillbethefirst-evermolecularstudyspecificallyinvolving

Dysosmia.DNAfromeverymemberofthegroupwillbesequenced and analyzed to produce a phylogenetic tree,showinghowallofthespecies/varietiesarelikelyrelatedtoeachother.MoleculardatahassofaronlybeenappliedtoafewgroupswithinPassiflora,someofwhichhaveusedaspecimenortwoofP. foetida,butneverwithDysosmia in its entirety.

With every systematic analysis that involves bothmorphologicalandmoleculardata,thehopeisthatbothlines of evidence lead to the same conclusion. In otherwords,hopefullymyhypothesesaboutspeciesusing justthe morphological observations are also upheld by themoleculardata.Beingabletomapspecific,uniquecharactertraits (we call these “synapomorphies”) to individualbranchesonthephylogenetictreeisidealtohelpsupportorrejecthypothesesaboutspeciesrelationships.

InthecomingyearsIhopetomakesignificantheadwayin this difficult group by providing an intensive andcomprehensive reanalysis of Dysosmia. If you have anyquestions, comments, or advice please don’t hesitate [email protected].

References Cited:CANDOLLE, A. P. DE 1822. Passiflora. Mém. la Soc. Phys. d’Hist. Nat. Genève. 1:436.FEUILLET,C.&MACDOUGAL,J.M.2004.ANewInfragenericClassificationofPassifloraL.(Passifloraceae).J. News. Passiflora Soc. Int. 13:34–38.KILLIP,E.P.1938.TheAmericanSpeciesofPassifloraceae.Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Bot. Ser. 19:335–613.MASTERS,M.T. 1872. Passifloraceae. In: deMartius,C.F.P.&Eichler,A.G., eds.Flora Brasiliensis. p.547,580–581.ROEMER,M. J.1846.Synopsismonographica e classePeponifarum.Fam. Nat. Regni Veg. Monogr.2:131,149.VANDERPLANK, J. 2013. A Revision of Passiflora Section Dysosmia, Passifloraceae. Curt. Bot. Mag. 30(4):318–387.

Head-like (capitate) glands of a P. clathrata leaf.

Short, bulbous glands found on the leaves of P. lepidota.

Head-like (capitate) glands found on the leaves of P. palmeri. An involucral bract of P. lepidota A stipule of P. vellozii.

Species/Varieties:

P. arida(Mast.&Rose)Killipwithonevariety(P. arida var. pentaschista Killip),P. arizonica(Killip)D.H.Goldman,P. bahamensis Britton,P. boticarioanaCervi,P. campanulata Mast.,P. chrysophyllaChodat,P. ciliataAitonwith threevarieties(P. ciliata var. hibiscifolia(Lam.)Vanderplank,P. ciliata var. orinocensis (Killip)Vanderplank,andP.ciliata

A stipule of P. foetida var. longipedunculata.

var. santiagana (Killip) Vanderplank), P. clathrata Mast.,P. foetidaL.withfivevarieties(P. foetida var. acapulcensisKillip,P. foetida var. baraquiniana(Lem.)Vanderplank,P. foetida var. ellisoniiVanderplank,P. foetida var. nigelliflora(Hook.)Mast.,andP. foetida var. oaxacana Killip),P. fruticosa Killip,P. hypoglauca Harms,P. lepidotaRose,P. palmeriRose,P. pectinata Griseb, P. setulosa Killip, P. sublanceolata (Killip)J. M. MacDougal, P. urbaniana Killip, P. vellozii Gardner,P. vesicariaL.withonevariety(P. vesicaria var. galapagensis (Killip) Vanderplank), P. vestita Killip,andP. villosaVell.

P. foetida var. unknown © Myles Irvine


A sampling of the leaf variation within sect. Dysosmia.

A.P. arizonica; B. P. ciliata var. hastata; C. P. foetida var. subpalmata; D. P. urbaniana; E. P. sublanceolata; F. P. foetida var. acapulcensis; G. P. arida; H. P. campanulata; I. P. foetida var. santiagana.

A sampling of the flower variation within sect. Dysosmia.

A.P. vellozii(photo:passiflorae.fr);B.P. bahamensis(photo:D.Goldman);C.P. pectinata(photo:J.M.MacDougal);D.P. foetidavar.unknown(photo:R.Boender);E.P. foetida var. lanuginosa; F. P. foetida var. gossypifolia; G. P. sublanceolata(photo:R.Boender);H.P. arida (photo:J.Ochoa);I.P. urbaniana(photo:R.Boender).


Peru : Native species that are lost day by day.By Boris Esquerre-Ibañez Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo, Lambayeque, PerúAsociación Lambayecana de Botánicos (ASLAB), Chiclayo, Perú

Fragmented cloud forest due to shifting cultivation, the habitat of Passiflora tripartita and Passiflora viridescens. Cajamarca Department.



south.The PassifloraofPeruarewelldistributed,fromthecoastline,nearsealevel,tothehighestmountainzonesoftheAndes,called“punas”and“paramos”,aswellasinthealmostimpenetrablelowlandrainforestsoftheAmazon.

100 endemicPassiflora species andprobablymore to bediscovered.PeruboastsarichheritageofbiodiversitywithavarietyofclimatesthankstothepresenceoftheAndesMountainRangethatcrosses thecountry fromnorthto

Somegounnoticedon the sideof roads,others areobservable from afar by the magnificence of theirflowers. These are the passion flowers of Peru,

a country in western South America. There are about

Frommyownobservations,theTacsoniaspecies(Subgenus:Passiflora; Supersection: Tacsonia) are mostly isolatedin thehighlandsof theAndes;at intermediateandhighaltitudeforeststheDecalobaspecies(Subgenus:Decaloba)

Illegal logging in primary forest, habitat of Decalobas and Tacsonias

Cerros de Amotape National Park, habitat of Passiflora tenella, now threatened by the Peruvian government due to a binational irrigation project with Ecuador. Tumbes Department.

Dangerous oil spill in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon, the habitat of species such as Passiflora spinosa and P. serratodigitata. Loreto Department.

Peruvian Armed Forces destroying chemicals in a clandestine cocaine laboratory in the amazonian lowlands. Huánuco Department.


Páramo totally destroyed, the habitat of species such as Passiflora gracilens, P. mathewsii and P. sanchezii, now an active open pit mine. Cajamarca Department.


are found, particularlymore diverse in the permanentlywetareaswherefernsandorchidsgrow.IntheregionoftheAmazonianlowlands,wefindthetreepassionflowers(Subgenus: Astrophea) and other groups of subgenusPassiflora. Finally, a small group of species is present inaridandsemi-aridregionsofthewarmcoastalstrip,e.g.,P. foetida, P. suberosa, P. punctata, and,on the “lomas”formations,speciessuchasP. suberosa andP. peduncularis.

EveryyearIamsurprisedtoseenewPassiflorahybridswithflowersofenviablebeauty.At the same time,however, Iam worried about the lack of importance given to thecultivationofnativespecies.Manydonotreceivespecialattention by the horticulturists or the general public,becausetheydon’thaveanattractiveflowerorediblefruits.

Forme,allspeciesshouldbeconsideredequal–beautifulornot,edibleornot.Theirsignificanceshouldbeduetothe fact that they are thenativeflora of a territory.Yet,it is thesenative species that are themost vulnerable toextintion, due to destructive human intervention in the

environment, namely urban growth, illegal logging,shiftingcultivation,andopen-pitmining.

Currently, in Peru, human presence in areas withbiodiversity is always a serious threat to conservationefforts. I refer here to human groups settled, called inSpanish“colonos”,notthenativegroupsofpeopleinthewild.Peoplehavelivedintheseareasformillennia,e.g.,theIncasintheAndean/AmazonianregionsofsouthernPeru,ortheLambayequesinthedryforestsofnorthernPeru,buttheseancientcivilizationsmaintainedarelativelybalancedrelationshipwiththenaturalenvironment.ItwasaftertheSpanishinvasionthattheseareas,richinplantandanimaldiversity,beganexperiencinghigh-impacthumanactivity. While the creation of protected conservation areas hashelped in some cases, unprotected areas continue tosuffertheeffectsofdeforestationeverydayasisthecase,unfortunately,withsomeprotectedareasduetoinadequatepatrollingoftheterritory.Whoknowshowmanyspeciesarebeinglost?Perhapssomespecieswillneverbeknown

Passiflora punctata behaves as a species well adapted to human intervention in its natural habitat. Lambayeque Department.

becausetheyarealreadyextinct.

I have personally perceived somemajor threats to threegroupsofpassionflowershere inPeru,and theyare theones I share here. I’m not sure, but I suspect the samesituation is happening in neighboring countries such asColombia,EcuadorandBrazil.

Tacsonia threatened in the Andes

The Tacsonia species develop on the level of mountainforests.Themainthreatsdestroyingtheirenvironmentareillegalloggingbyindustryorbythepeopleoftheareaandthe total destruction of vegetation by open-pit mining.Foundations,protectionsocietiesandconservationgroupshave always fought to curb these activities, especially insectors with high biodiversity and primary forests, butsometimesthegovernmentitselfbecomestheenemy.Onemightbe inclinedtogiveup,butIguess there isalwayshope.SomeTacsoniaspecies,forexample,havedevelopedtolerancetohumaninterventionintheirhabitat.

Decaloba endangered in the unprotected mountain forests

In themountain forests, the threat is large-scale shiftingcultivationandtheecologicalcrimeofopen-pitmining.Shifting cultivation is the use and disuse of land tocultivate edible plant species. This agricultural practicerequires many acres of forest to be “cleaned.” Swathesare evaluated, trees are cut down, and the surroundingvegetationburned.Astimepassesandthelandceasestobefertile,peoplelooktowardstheneighboringmountainformorelandonwhichtowork.Theythenmigratefrom“their land” to another forest, cutting it again, and socontinuingthecycleofdestruction.Afterseveralyears,allthatisleftisadesertedmountainwiththescarsofhumanintervention.Even if some isolated patches of forest are“saved”,themountainwilltakemanyyearstoreturntoitsformerglory,ifiteverdoes.

Second, is open-pit mining, which basically destroysforests(whenminingislocatedintheforests),butwiththedifferencethattheforestsarelostforever.Here,absolutelyeverylivingthingisdestroyedandthemountainbecomesasdesertedasalunarlandscape.Thesearemajorecologicaldisasters under the aegis of national and multinationalcompanies,withtheindifferenceorsometimessponsorshipofthegovernment.

Vulnerable Astrophea in the Amazon rainforest

In the dense Amazonian rainforest of eastern Peru,where unfortunately there is little government control,illegal logging isoneof themajorcausesofhabitat loss.Endangeredspeciesinthisgeographicrangeinclude,fromhighlands to lowlands, P. frutescens, P. putumayensis, P. cauliflora,P. spinosa andP. pyrrhantha.

Otherindustrialdamageisduetotheactivityofoilandgascompanies.Inparticular,oilextraction,seriouslydamagesthe Amazon basin by contaminating water sources andforests (through pipelines), affecting the ecosystems andgeneratingsocialconflictsbetweenthenativepeopleoftheAmazon,thecompaniesandthegovernment.

Narcotraffic also causes harm at this level because it“clears” areas of primary forest to grow species likeErythroxylon (E. coca).Thesemafias,hidden in thedeepPeruvian Amazonian forests, are destroying hectares ofpristine forest and polluting the availablewater sources,to build roads and illegal chemical laboratories for thepreparation and purification of the alkaloid - cocainebasepaste.Unfortunately,theseareasareveryisolatedforgovernmentcontroltobeeffective,andoftenlocalpeopleworkwiththedrugdealersbecausetheyearnmorethanworkinginalegalactivity;sometimestheydoitbecausetheyliveterrifiedbythedrugdealers.AnexampleofonesuchregionisthejungleoftheValleyoftheApurimacand


“The Slaughter of Bagua” - In June 2009 natives from the Amazon region revolted against the Peruvian government, due to a law that would favor large multinationals and mining companies to use their territories

in the jungle. The violence resulted in 33 deaths.

Ene rivers, in southernPeru,untilnowahavenofhighbiodiversity;withhundredsofnewspecieswaitingtobediscovered.

Conservation

Having considered these problems, it is important topromoteactionstosavethewildpassionflowersofPeru.

Every day that passes many habitats are destroyed, andwiththemmanyspeciesofPassiflorathatalsoarefoodformammals,birds,reptiles,andinsects,manyofwhichmayalsobelost.Itisnicetoseethespeciesinphotos,buyseeds,growandhybridizethem,butitisalsogoodtothinkaboutnativespecies,thoselivinginthewild.Ipersonallyprefertocultivateandpromotenativespecies;Itismyinitiativeto keepnative species safe.Thankfully, some species aresafe inthestate-protectedareasandprivateconservationareas.Ibelieveitisagoodoptiontopreservethespeciesincollections,butitismuchbetterstilltokeepthemintheirownhabitat,therebynotbreakingtheirrelationshipswithotherlivingthingsandtheirnaturalenvironment.

Passiflora sagasteguii, a vulnerable species living in areas of shifting cultivation around the Andes from northwest Peru, needs to be protected. Lambayeque Department.

Passiflora gracilens in Bolivia © 2004 Christian Bravard


The author looking for ripe fruits and cuttings for propagation of Passiflora viridescens by the road side. Amazonas Department.

© 2008 Diane Earl

Baked Sea Bream with passion fruit sauce. (serves 4) Daurade au four, sauce au fruit de la passion. (pour 4 personnes)By Sébastien Larique

68 69


P. parritae© John Ocampo P. parritae © John Ocampo

P. mixta © Neil Gale

P. pinnatistipula © Bridget Campbell

4 seabreamfilletsoranyfirmwhitefishsuchassnapper,trout,bassortilapia.

• 3passionfruit• 75ml(1/3cup)ofpassionfruitvinegar• 50grams(1/4cup)ofsugar• 1 lime • 2clovesofgarlic• 4tablespoonsofoiloilive• 2sprigsofcilantro(corianderleaves)• Afewchives• Saltandpepper

Cut thepassion fruit inhalfandextract thepulp. Bring vinegar, passion fruit pulp andsugar to boil in a saucepan and reduce for5minutes. Preheat oven to180°C, 350°F,Gasmark5.Cutthelimeintothinslices.Peelthegarlicandcutintostrips.Saltandpepperthefish,garnishwiththegarlicandlime.Drizzlewitholiveoilandbakefor20minutesin the oven.

Sprinkle chopped chives and coriander overthefish.

Servewithpassionfruitsauce.

4 dauradesécailléesetvidées

• 3fruitsdelapassion• 75mldevinaigredefruitdelapassion• 50grammesdesucre• 1 citron vert• 2goussesd’ail• 4cuillèresàsouped’huiled’oilive• 2brinsdecoriandre• Quelquesbrinsdeciboulette• SeletPoivre

Coupez les fruits de la passion en deux etrécupérezlapulpe.Portezlevinaigredefruitdelapassion,lapulpeetlesucreàébullitiondansunecasserolepuisréduirependant5minutes.Salezetpoivrez.Réservez.Préchauffezlefourthermostat 6 - 180°C, 350° F,Gasmark 5.Coupez le citron vert en tranches fines.Epluchezl’ailetcoupezlesenlamelles.Salezet poivrez les daurades, garnissez les d’ail etdecitronvert.Arrosezd’huiled’oliveetfaites

cuire20minutesaufour.Hachezlaciboulette,lacoriandreetparsemezsurlespoissons.

Servezaveclasauceaufruitdelapassion.

Sébastien Larique, 34 years old, has beenlivinginEpernay(Champagne-Ardennes)for7yearswithhispartnerandtwodaughtersage12 and13, and is an enthusiast collectorofthe genus Passiflora since year 2008. Curator ofacollectionof176speciesandhybridsofPassiflora. Works as gardener and landscapegardenerinthefourstarhotel‘LaBriqueterie’seton2.5hectaresatVinayinthevicinityofEpernay.

© Michael Lehet

72 PassIfLora oNLINe JourNaL JUNE 2015


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