Passiflora lancetillensis | The Italian Collection of Maurizio Vecchia

DESCRIPTION:

An elegant and attractive passionflower even when not in bloom, thanks to its large leaves. These are whole, heart-shaped, with a sharp apex and a beautiful glaucous green colour.

Like P. microstipula,with which it has many affinities, it came into cultivation in Europe in the early 2000s. Thanks to its easy availability, it deserves to be considered by collectors and enthusiasts.

I also have specimens that survive the winters in my greenhouse with average temperatures around 17°C and with night drops to 14°C. They remain dormant but recover decisively and surely in the spring.

Its leathery, robust leaves reach 20 cm in length and 15 cm in width. On the petiole, there are numerous pairs of thin, protruding glands, at least 3 or 4.

The whole plant is hairless and robust. The stems are also smooth, with a round cross-section and the same colour as the leaves.

The flowers, about 5 cm in diameter, are white with a slight light green dominance. The corona is composed of three series of thin, ivory-white filaments, wavy and curled especially at the apices. The flowers, whose petioles are emitted at nodes along the stems in pairs at the base of the tendrils, have soft and delicate colours that contrast with the leaves' robustness.

P. lancettillensis was discovered in Honduras and was also found in Belize. It requires a minimum winter temperature of about 13°C. It should therefore be considered a pot plant for the greenhouse and, perhaps, for the home.

It is propagated from cuttings since the seeds are not easily available.