Revision of Passiflora Subgenus Decaloba ... - Passion Flowers

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the sugar concentration (measured as sucrose equivalents in percent weight per
total weight) of the nectar of three species in the supersection: P. juliana, 35-
38%; P. macfadyenii, 29-44%; and P. megacoriacea, 43-45%. The flowers of P.
megacoriacea have a strong, sweet, waxy odor and open in the morning,
suggesting that the species is probably pollinated by bees. Passiflora juliana has
flowers that have no detectible odor, but the structure of the flower suggests
adaptation to a small or medium-sized insect; MacDougal (1992) reported seeing
a hummingbird visit the flowers of this species in coastal Oaxaca, México.
Passiflora macfadyenii possesses bright red, tubular flowers with no odor, an
elongated androgynophore, and poorly developed corona suggesting that
hummingbirds are the likely pollinators.
The majority of the species in the supersection are probably pollinated by bees
(e.g., P. coriacea, P. mcvaughiana, P. megacoriacea, P. sexocellata, P. trinifolia).
Most of the species have small, cup-shaped flowers that last less than one day.
The flowers possess at least one row of well-developed coronal filaments that act
as a landing platform for pollinators and have conspicuous areas of yellow and/or
purplish coloration to attract them. In addition, they commonly have a clearance
distance of less than 2.5 mm between the landing platform and the dehisced
anthers or receptive stigmas.
MacDougal (1994) noted that pollination by wasps may be important and
widespread in subgenus Decaloba. Several species of Passiflora subg.
Decaloba supersection Decaloba are primarily pollinated by wasps (e.g., P.
affinis Engelm., P. capsularis L., and P. sexflora Juss.). These species have