Love-in-a-mist - Stinking passionflower

Love-in-a-mist  -  Stinking passionflower 

പൂച്ചപഴം

Botanical name: Passiflora foetida    

Family: Passifloraceae 

(passion flower family)

Love-in-a-mist is a creeping vine which has an edible fruit and leaves that have a mildly rank aroma. It is native to northern South America and the West Indies. The stems are thin, wiry and woody, covered with sticky yellow hairs. The leaves are three- to five-lobed and viscid-hairy. They give off an unpleasant odor when crushed. The flowers are white to pale cream colored, about 5-6 cm diameter. The fruit is globose, 2-3 cm diameter, yellowish-orange to red when ripe, and has numerous black seeds embedded in the pulp; the fruit are eaten and the seeds dispersed by birds. The bracts of this plant serve as insect traps, but it is as yet unknown whether the plant digests and gains nourishment from the trapped insects or if it merely uses the bracts as a defensive mechanism to protect its flowers and fruit. This is still an issue of debate and research among carnivorous plant enthusiasts. 

native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and much of South America.

 This species can be helpful in treating digestive problems, including dyspepsia and diarrhea; or used as an astringent and expectorant for nervous conditions and spasms.

Pic:Kumbalangi EranakulamDt.Kerala.INDIA