Editing Passiflora (section)

==Description==
They are mostly [[tendril|tendril-bearing]] [[vine]]s, with some being [[shrub]]s or [[tree]]s. They can be [[wood]]y or [[herbaceous]].<ref name = "Ulmer & McDougal, 2004" />

Passion flowers produce regular and usually showy [[flower]]s with a distinctive [[Perianth#Corona|corona]]. There can be as many as eight concentric coronal series, as in the case of ''[[Passiflora xiikzodz|P.&nbsp;xiikzodz]]''.<ref name = "Ulmer & McDougal, 2004">{{cite book |  last1= Ulmer | first1= Torsten | last2= McDougal | first2= John M. | date= 2004 | title= Passiflora - Passion Flowers of the World |  location= Portland | publisher=  Timber Press | pages= 158–159}}</ref> and ''[[Passiflora alata]]''. The hallmark of the genus is the [[androgynophore]], a central column to which the [[stamens]] and [[pistil]] are attached, which can be very long in some species such as ''[[Passiflora coactilis]]''. The flower is [[merosity|pentamerous]] (except for a few [[Southeast Asian]] species) and ripens into an [[berry (botany)|indehiscent fruit]] with numerous seeds.

The fruit ranges from {{Convert|5-20|cm|frac=2}} long and {{Convert|2.5-5|cm|abbr=on|frac=2}} across, depending upon the species or [[cultivar]].

=== Chemistry ===
{{multiple image
| width1            = 239
| image1            = Chrysin.svg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = [[Chrysin]], a commercially important [[flavone]] found in ''[[Passiflora caerulea|P.&nbsp;caerulea]]'' (blue passion flower)
| image2            = Harman.svg
| width2            = 150
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = Harman, a [[harmala alkaloid]] found in many species of ''Passiflora''
}}
Many species of ''Passiflora'' have been found to contain [[beta-carboline]] [[harmala alkaloid]]s,<ref name="drugs" /><ref name="Duke">Duke (2008)</ref><ref name="Meuninck">{{cite book |author=Jim Meuninck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AVOsBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA38 |title=Medicinal Plants of North America: A Field Guide |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2008 |isbn=978-1461745815}}</ref> some of which are [[Monoamine oxidase inhibitor|MAO inhibitors]]. The flower and fruit have only traces of these chemicals, but the leaves and the roots often contain more.<ref name="Meuninck" /> The most common of these alkaloids is [[Harmala alkaloid|harman]], but [[harmaline]], [[harmalol]], [[harmine]], and [[harmol]] are also present.<ref name="drugs" /><ref name="Duke" /> The species known to bear such alkaloids include: ''[[Passiflora actinia|P.&nbsp;actinia]]'', ''[[Passiflora alata|P.&nbsp;alata]]'' (winged-stem passion flower), ''[[Passiflora alba|P.&nbsp;alba]]'', ''[[Passiflora bryonioides|P.&nbsp;bryonioides]]'' (cupped passion flower), ''[[Passiflora caerulea|P.&nbsp;caerulea]]'' (blue passion flower), ''[[Passiflora capsularis|P.&nbsp;capsularis]]'', ''[[Passiflora decaisneana|P.&nbsp;decaisneana]]'', ''[[Passiflora edulis|P.&nbsp;edulis]]'' (passion fruit), ''[[Passiflora eichleriana|P.&nbsp;eichleriana]]'', ''[[Passiflora foetida|P.&nbsp;foetida]]'' (stinking passion flower), ''[[Passiflora incarnata|P.&nbsp;incarnata]]'' (maypop), ''[[Passiflora quadrangularis|P.&nbsp;quadrangularis]]'' (giant granadilla), ''[[Passiflora suberosa|P.&nbsp;suberosa]]'', ''[[Passiflora subpeltata|P.&nbsp;subpeltata]]'' and ''[[Passiflora warmingii|P.&nbsp;warmingii]]''.<ref name="Duke" />

Other compounds found in passion flowers are [[coumarins]] (e.g. [[scopoletin]] and [[umbelliferone]]), [[maltol]], [[phytosterol]]s (e.g. [[lutenin]]) and [[cyanogenic glycosides]] (e.g. [[gynocardin]]) which render some species, i.e. ''[[Passiflora adenopoda|P.&nbsp;adenopoda]]'', somewhat poisonous. Many [[flavonoid]]s and their [[glycoside]]s have been found in ''Passiflora'', including [[apigenin]], [[beta-Naphthoflavone|benzoflavone]], [[homoorientin]], {{Nowrap|[[7-isoorientin]]}}, [[isoshaftoside]], [[isovitexin]] (or [[saponaretin]]), [[kaempferol]], [[lucenin]], [[luteolin]], {{Nowrap|n-[[orientin]]}}, [[passiflorine]] (named after the genus), [[quercetin]], [[rutin]], [[saponarin]], [[shaftoside]], [[vicenin]] and [[vitexin]]. Maypop, [[blue passion flower]] (''P.&nbsp;caerulea''), and perhaps others contain the [[flavone]] [[chrysin]]. Also documented to occur at least in some ''Passiflora'' in quantity are the [[hydrocarbon]] [[nonacosane]] and the [[anthocyanidin]] [[pelargonidin]]-3-diglycoside.<ref name="drugs" /><ref name="Duke" /><ref name="dd2008">Dhawan, ''et al''. (2002)</ref>

The genus is rich in [[organic acid]]s including [[Formic acid|formic]], [[Butyric acid|butyric]], [[Linoleic acid|linoleic]], [[α-Linolenic acid|linolenic]], [[Malic acid|malic]], [[Myristic acid|myristic]], [[oleic acid|oleic]] and [[palmitic acid]]s as well as [[natural phenol|phenolic]] compounds, and the [[amino acid]] {{Nowrap|α-[[alanine]]}}. [[Ester]]s like [[ethyl butyrate]], [[ethyl caproate]], ''n''-[[hexyl butyrate]] and ''n''-[[hexyl caproate]] give the fruits their flavor and appetizing smell. [[Sugar]]s, contained mainly in the fruit, are most significantly {{Nowrap|d-[[fructose]]}}, {{Nowrap|d-[[glucose]]}} and [[raffinose]]. Among [[enzyme]]s, ''Passiflora'' was found to be rich in [[catalase]], [[Pectinesterase|pectin methylesterase]] and [[phenolase]].<ref name="drugs" /><ref name="Duke" />