North America Non-native Plant

Passionflower

Botanical name: Passiflora caeruleoracemosa

USDA symbol: PACA26

Native status: Not native but doesn't reproduce and persist in the wild

The Mystery of Passiflora caeruleoracemosa: When Plant Names Lead to Dead Ends If you’ve stumbled upon the name Passiflora caeruleoracemosa and are wondering about this particular passionflower, you’re not alone in your quest for information. Unfortunately, this specific botanical name presents quite the gardening mystery. The Challenge with Plant Identification ...

The Mystery of Passiflora caeruleoracemosa: When Plant Names Lead to Dead Ends

If you’ve stumbled upon the name Passiflora caeruleoracemosa and are wondering about this particular passionflower, you’re not alone in your quest for information. Unfortunately, this specific botanical name presents quite the gardening mystery.

The Challenge with Plant Identification

While the genus Passiflora contains hundreds of beautiful passionflower species beloved by gardeners worldwide, Passiflora caeruleoracemosa appears to be either extremely rare, incorrectly identified, or possibly not a currently recognized species name in mainstream botanical literature.

This situation isn’t uncommon in the plant world. Sometimes plant names get mixed up, old synonyms persist, or new species discoveries haven’t yet made it into popular gardening resources.

What This Means for Gardeners

If you’re looking to add a passionflower to your garden, here’s what I recommend:

  • Double-check the plant name with reliable sources like botanical gardens or university extension services
  • Consider well-documented Passiflora species that are readily available and have established growing guides
  • If you have a physical plant labeled with this name, consider having it identified by a local botanist or horticulturist

Moving Forward with Passionflowers

Rather than leaving you empty-handed, consider exploring other members of the Passiflora family that are well-documented and widely available. Many passionflowers offer stunning flowers, attract pollinators, and can be wonderful additions to the right garden setting.

The world of plants is vast and sometimes mysterious, and encountering an unclear plant name is just part of the adventure. When in doubt, always consult with local gardening experts who can help you identify exactly what you’re working with and provide appropriate growing advice.

A Final Thought

If you have reliable information about Passiflora caeruleoracemosa from academic or botanical sources, we’d love to learn more. The gardening community thrives when we share knowledge and help solve these botanical puzzles together.

Passionflower

Classification

Group

Dicot

Kingdom

Plantae - Plants

Subkingdom

Tracheobionta - Vascular plants

Superdivision

Spermatophyta - Seed plants

Division

Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants

Subdivision
Class

Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons

Subclass

Dilleniidae

Order

Violales

Family

Passifloraceae Juss. ex Roussel - Passion-flower family

Genus

Passiflora L. - passionflower

Species

Passiflora caeruleo-racemosa Sabine - passionflower

Plant data source: USDA, NRCS 2025. The PLANTS Database. https://plants.usda.gov,. 2/25/2025. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA