Stinking passionflower

Passiflora foetida, commonly called the stinking passionflower, is an herbaceous climbing vine in the passion-flower family (Passifloraceae), scientifically described by Linnaeus in 1753. Its thin, wiry stems reach 7–10 m and are covered with minute sticky yellow hairs; the plant climbs by means of tendrils borne in the leaf axils. The alternate leaves are heart-shaped to three- to five-lobed, 6–10 cm long and 5–8 cm wide, and release a pungent odour when crushed (hence the epithet foetida, meaning “stinking”). The solitary flowers are 5–6 cm across, with five white to cream or pale purple petals and a fringed corona. The fruit is globose to ovoid, 2–3 cm across, remains green at maturity and contains numerous black seeds. Notably, the bracts around the flower exude a sticky secretion containing digestive enzymes that traps small insects and protects the young flowers and fruit — so the species is regarded as protocarnivorous.

Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/11/2026

The species is native to the southwestern United States (southern Texas and Arizona), Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and much of South America, and has been introduced and naturalised throughout the tropics, including Southeast Asia, South Asia, Hawaii and Africa, where it is regarded as an invasive weed in some areas. It grows on roadsides and in disturbed ground, thickets and forest edges. The ripe fruit is edible, with a mildly sweet pulp, and is eaten fresh or made into jams and drinks, while the young shoots and leaves are cooked as a vegetable. In traditional medicine it has been used as a sedative and for insomnia, nervous exhaustion, aches and coughs. However, the young leaves and unripe fruits contain cyanogenic glycosides (tetraphyllin B, linamarin) that can cause cyanide poisoning in people and livestock when eaten in quantity, especially in the dry season.

Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/11/2026