Gossypiifolia

While I' obsessing over passion flowers, I figure I may as well post a pic of my newest bloom. This is the passiflora foetida var. gossypiifolia I purchased from Texas Madrone Nursery a couple of months back. It's more than 10 feet long now, and blooming almost daily. Unfortunately, the second plant I purchased isn't blooming yet, so I'm not getting any fruit. But it sure is pretty.





Sadly, the blossoms open in the early morning and close around the noon hour, so they're not around as long as other passion flowers. But those weird, veined bracts encapsulating the flower but are fascinating, are they not? Looks like some alien pod about to burst open. The feathery airs on the bracts excrete a sticky sap that small insects sometimes get trapped in. The reason for this is not certain, but there is speculation that this might be an early adaptation in the evolution of a carnivorous plant. Interesting, no?

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