Revision of Passiflora Subgenus Decaloba ... - Passion Flowers

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Cuban species of Passiflora (Wright, 1869:480). In the article he states, "I have
lately carefully examined the Cuban species called P. minima, hederacea,
pallida, angustifolia, suberosa, &c., and come to this conclusion:–P. pallida, L., is
an old and appropriate name, to which belong P. minima, L., and P. angustifolia,
Sw., certainly; P. hederacea, Cav., P. suberosa L., probably; and, from the
description, I judge P. lineariloba, Hook. f. to be only another form of it.” It is
possible that Passiflora hirsuta was not considered by Wright in his article
because of the confusion surrounding its circumscription (see below) or because
he had not encountered the taxon in Cuba.
In the 1753 edition of Species Plantarum, Linnaeus indicated that he was well-
acquainted with P. pallida and refers to the diagnosis and drawing in the 1745
dissertation by J. G. Hallman, which Linnaeus directed, that shows an unlobed,
ovate leaf with two petiolar nectaries positioned near the apex of the petiole.
Linnaeus cites an illustration by Plumier (pl. 89, in Description des plantes de
l'Amérique, 1693) that also exemplifies his P. pallida. However, he also refers to
a figure by Morison (1680) that shows a plant with a large flower that possesses
sepals and petals (likely in the subgenus Passiflora) with unlobed, ovate leaves.
In the 1745 dissertation, Hallman specifically states that the flowers of P. pallida
L. are "pentapetala", referring to the lack of petals; this decision was based upon
the careful comparison of diagnoses from other petalous taxa in the treatment.
An examination of the Linnaean herbarium (microfiche) did not reveal an
herbarium specimen that could reasonably be attributed to the species described
as P. pallida by Linnaeus. There is one specimen in the Linnaean herbarium