Passion-flower Distribution in the Sonoran Ecoregion

Source: SEINet

Passiflora (Passion flower vine) is a tropical genera of vines, which reach their northernmost distribution with P. mexicana in the Santa Teresa mountains, North of the Gila River.  They produce edible passion fruits, but the herbiage is extremely unpalatable to animals, to the point that (reportedly) starving horses will not eat P. foetidius due to the stinky sticky hairs.

I have never seen these monsoon-bloomers in the wild in Arizona, but hope springs eternal in the Sky Islands...there are three species in Arizona:  P. arizonica, P. bryonoides, and P. mexicana:

P. arizonica ca 4-5.5 cm in diameter, whitish, the corona white or purplish.

P. bryonioides ca. 2.5-4.5 cm in diameter, whitish with purplish bands on corona. 

P. mexicana ca. 2-3 cm in diameter, light green or yellowish green, the corona red or reddish purple.

There are two more species in the Sonoran Desert south of the border:

P. palmeri (no description available)

P. suberosa (no description available)

Tea-Time on the Mountain-Top

You are CORDIALLY INVITED to a TEA PARTY on the SUMMIT of Mt. Wrightson, (Santa Rita Mountains, Sky Islands) this SATURDAY and SUNDAY from noon till 4 in OBSERVANCE of the planet MERCURY's greatest visibility on the 29th. Refreshments will be served. Dress will be smart-casual and please be on time. An after-party camp will observe Mercury's peregrinations.
Cheers,
CONOR

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Postscript:
The glare up here is Tremendous, serving tea and talking about imaginary things. I can see smoky haze rolling off the open pit mines. Mines and telescopes, the only things visible of the earth from up here by moonlight. The crickets lie still on the asphalt as autumn starts. I am fatterning up for the Winter;mosquitoes cannot bite me and river rocks are Shiatsu on my back. I'm spending the weekends tracking Jaguars (either melanous or spotted) in the Borderlands. This is where Coronado sought the seven cities of gold. There is only one place in the world with more mammal diversity: the Costa Rican rainforest.