Birdwing Passionflower, Passiflora tenuiloba | Wildflower Wednesday

Last summer during our stay near Dripping Springs I spent some time wandering the area just outside of our AirBnB to see what I could glean for iNaturalist. I noticed a gulf fritillary wandering along a vine and it made me pause for a moment. Gulf fritillary should mean a passiflora somewhere but nothing was standing out to me directly as a passionvine. Of course a closer look meant that I found small fruits and flower beds and once I focused in on the interesting leaf shapes I knew it was for sure a passiflora species. My first thought was Passiflora affinis, which I had seen in areas nearby in the Hill Country. But it was clearly not that. It turned out to be one I hadn’t seen, or at least that I couldn’t recall, Passiflora tenuiloba.

This is also a Hill Country specialty with the plant being found further into the Big Bend region and along the Rio Grande, as well as in northeastern Mexico. I did snag one fruit in hopes of starting a plant at home but nothing ever germinated, much to my disappointment. I would definitely try again if I ever come across seeds again.

Keep an eye out while you are out in the Hill Country for this unusual passiflora species!