# Bluecrown passionflower (*Passiflora caerulea*)

The Bluecrown passionflower is a beautiful flower with bright blue and white petals. It attracts butterflies and bees, making gardens colorful and lively!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Urban areas

![Bluecrown passionflower](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Blue_passion_flower_%28Passiflora_caerulea%29.jpg&width=800)

Photo: K. Chaikovska (Kate Chkv), CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_passion_flower_%28Passiflora_caerulea%29.jpg)

## Appearance

The Bluecrown passionflower has striking, complex flowers featuring five white or pale blue petals, topped with a dramatic fringe of blue, purple, and white filaments. Its unique center holds bright green stigmas and yellow anthers, making it look like a tiny, intricate clock.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malpighiales
- **Family:** Passifloraceae
- **Genus:** Passiflora

## Interesting facts

- Its fruit changes from green to bright orange or yellow as it ripens!
- Its springy tendrils help the vine hold on tight, even in windy weather!
- Some older tales say its intricate flower helped tell the time of day!
- The passionflower can grow new plants from just a piece of its stem!

## Special abilities

- **Tendril Grip:** Bluecrown passionflower can grip surfaces with springy tendrils, helping it climb high to reach sunlight and spread its flowers.
- **Pollinator Magnet:** Its intricate, colorful flowers act like a special landing strip and beacon for specific insects, attracting them for pollination.
- **Fruit Factory:** This vine grows yummy passionfruit, which animals eat to help spread its seeds far and wide, making more passionflowers.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 300-900 cm
- **Spread:** 100-300 cm
- **Flower Size:** 5-10 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early fall, or year-round in warm climates
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen.
- **Pollinates:** Red postman butterfly (*Heliconius erato*) — Visits flowers for nectar.
- **Eaten by:** [Gulf Fritillary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/gulf-fritillary) (*Agraulis vanillae*) — Larvae feed on leaves.
- **Eats:** Humans (*Homo sapiens*) — Consumes ripe fruit.
- **Eats:** [Common blackbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-blackbird) (*Turdus merula*) — Eats ripe fruit, dispersing seeds.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Don't eat any part of the plant without asking an adult first.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Bluecrown passionflower?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Bluecrown passionflower?

300-900 cm

### How wide does Bluecrown passionflower spread?

100-300 cm

### How big are the flowers on Bluecrown passionflower?

5-10 cm

### When does Bluecrown passionflower bloom?

Late spring to early fall, or year-round in warm climates

### Is Bluecrown passionflower edible?

Yes

### Is Bluecrown passionflower toxic?

Mild

### What is Bluecrown passionflower's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Bluecrown passionflower: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bluecrown-passionflower)