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Glite Dictionary
Passiflora mollissima

Passiflora mollissima

9.9
A climbing plant from the Andes that people grow for its edible fruit
  • proper noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Passiflora mollissima
  • The fruits of Passiflora mollissima are popular in juice blends throughout South America.

Examples

  • Gardeners appreciate Passiflora mollissima for its attractive flowers and prolific fruit production.

  • Some regions restrict the cultivation of Passiflora mollissima because it can become invasive.

  • I recently tasted Passiflora mollissima for the first time.

  • Have you ever tried Passiflora mollissima?

  • Gardeners appreciate Passiflora mollissima for its edible fruit, which is enjoyed in many South American dishes.

  • The fruits of Passiflora mollissima are often used to make delicious smoothies and desserts.

  • In the Andes, Passiflora mollissima is cultivated not only for its fruit but also for its beautiful flowers.

Surface Forms

Passiflora mollissima main

Morphology

Passiflora + mollissima

This is a Linnaean binomial (genus + species): knowing 'Passiflora' lets a learner infer it names a particular passionflower species. However, the Latin epithet 'mollissima' is opaque to most B1 learners and does not reveal specific properties (edible fruit, Andean origin), so the full definitional content is not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Passiflora mollissima gets its name from Latin: Passiflora means 'passion flower' because early European visitors thought the flower's parts reminded them of the 'Passion' of Jesus, and mollissima means 'very soft', probably for the soft fruit or leaves. So the name helps you remember it is a passionflower with soft, edible fruit from the Andes.