Interspecific hybridization in ornamental passion flowers

The genus Passiflora (family of Passifloraceae) consists of more than 560 species of vines, lianas and small trees, widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. Passion flower exhibits unique floral features: multiple series of brightly decorated corona filaments, a prominent androgynophore and coloured petals and sepals. Equally fascinating is the wide variety and leaf shapes and colors. Due to their exotic features and the wide interspecific variability, Passiflora hybrids have a great commercial potential in the floriculture market. A collection of passion flowers including wild species, cultivars, varieties and registered hybrids was established at the Research Unit for Floriculture and Ornamental Species, in Sanremo (Italy). The plants were grown in pots in a warm greenhouse with the aim of collecting genetic resources available both for researchers and for flower growers. The present study describes the results of two years (2010-2011) cross breeding among accessions to produce new hybrids adapted to the Mediterranean climate for garden and pot plant purposes. After manual pollinations, 18 accessions that have been used as female parent produced more than 100 fruits. The fruits were collected at ripening and the seeds were sown in different conditions. The new Passiflora hybrids have been described based on morphological and phenological characters. Molecular and cytogenetic analyses were performed as well.