Question
Hello. I am a high school student in 10th grade and I am doing a presentation on the plant Passiflora Incarnata a.k.a. Passion Flower. I have looked on the internet and just can't seem to find the answers to my questions for the Presentation. My friend Ena also wrote to you and said you helped her out a great deal. She referred you to me and I hope you can help me too. Here are my questions:
THE PASSIFLORA INCARNATA AKA PASSION FLOWER---
1. Is it sexual or asexual?
2. Does it have seeds or spores?
3. What is the life cycle?
4. How are the seeds/spores dispersed?

I hope you can help me and I am looking for your reply. Your answers are very much thanked and appreciated. Thank you so much.
               -----Timmie- I am a girl. No joke.
Thank you so much. Bye and God bless.


Answer
Hi Timmie,

Being a girl is not a joke and neither is having a neat name like Timmie. You have nothing to explain or to be defensive about. Besides, 15-year old boys don't know anything!

Passiflora can be propagated sexually through flowers and seeds or asexually through cuttings (cloning).

Only members of the Fern family produce spores. Passiflora is not a fern. It produces beautiful flowers and seeds.

Life cycle? The seeds germinate. The seedlings become  plants. The plants mature, produce flowers, and die.

The wind, birds, and small animals are the most common dispersal agents.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.
  
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

Visit my web site at www.HorticulturalHelp.com

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