downloads/Killip 1.pdf - Passion Flowers

AMERICAN PASSIFLORACEAE 9
Schlechterina, and Machadoa are monotypic African genera; Deidamia,
with about 8 species, and Tryphostemma, with about 30, likewise
are wholly African. Adenia, the largest of the Old World genera,
contains approximately 80 species, most of which are restricted to
Africa, though a few occur in tropical parts of Asia and on the South
Pacific islands.
are found in New Guinea and New Zealand, respectively.
Hollrungia and Tetrapathaea, both monotypic genera,
In Passiflora,
by far the most important genus of the family, less than 40 of
the nearly 400 known species are endemic to the Old World; these,
with the possible exception of one species in Madagascar, are known
only from Asia and the South Pacific islands, and the genus is, therefore,
primarily one of the New World. Mitostemma, with three
species, and Dilkea, with five, are restricted to South America.
Tetrastylis contains one Central American and one Brazilian species.
The families Malsherbiaceae and Caricaceae were united to
Passifloraceae by early authors, but they are now considered distinct.
In the following brief review of the genera and groups into which
the family has at various times been divided, those genera that
properly are referable to Malsherbiaceae or to Caricaceae are not
included, nor are the Old World groups of Passifloraceae considered.
All the passionflowers were placed by Linnaeus in Passiflora.
In 1787 Medicus created the genus Cieca for the apetalous species,
and revived Tourneforte's names Murucuja and Granadilla for two
additional genera. In 1789 (Gen. PI. 398) Jussieu added another
genus of Tourneforte's, Tacsonia, but he did not recognize Cieca.
These three genera, Passiflora, Murucuja, and Tacsonia, were maintained
by Persoon (Syn. PI. 2: 219. 1807).
In 1819 (Ann. G6n. Soc. Phys. Brux.) Bory St. Vincent proposed
three additional segregates of Passiflora, viz., Asephananthes, Monactineirma,
and Anthactinia. In 1822 (Me*m. Soc. Phys. Geneve 1:
434-443) De Candolle, accepting the generic concepts of Jussieu
and of Persoon, subdivided Passiflora into seven sections: Astrophea,
Polyanthea, Tetrapathaea, Cieca, Decaloba, Granadilla, and Dysosmia.
This treatment was followed in the Prodromus, an eighth section,
Tacsonioides, being added to Passiflora, and Murucuja and Tacsonia,
with two and four sections, respectively, being given generic rank.
In 1846 Roemer, evidently with an extremely narrow concept
of a genus, raised to generic rank all of De Candolle's sections. But
in placing the species Roemer unfortunately showed a lack of knowledge
of their characters, many being assigned to certain "genera"
without apparent justification.