TACSONIA (from Tacso, the Peruvian name of one of the species). Passion Flower. Including Poggendorffia. ORD. Passifloreae. A genus comprising about thirty species of stove or greenhouse, often pubescent, climbing shrubs, natives of tropical America, mainly differing from Passiflora in the usually long, cylindrical tube of the calyx, which is furnished with two crowns, one at the throat, and the other near its base. Petals five, often smaller than the calyx lobes; corona entire or filamentose; stamens five. Leaves alternate. Tendrils lateral, undivided. The species known to cultivation are here described. For culture, see Passiflora. TACSONIA Buchanani (Buchanan's). A synonym of Passiflora vitifolia. TACSONIA insignis (remarkable).* fl. solitary, axillary, 6in. to 8in. in diameter; tube 2in. long, with a depressed bulb at the base; sepals violet-crimson, linear-oblong, concave, with a green keel terminating below in a green spur 1in. long; petals darker crimson and shorter than the sepals, nearly flat; corona 1/2in. long, of one series of white threads mottled with blue; inner corona an inflexed membrane at the base of the tube above the bulb. Summer and autumn. l. 5in. to 7in. long, ovate or oblong, or lanceolate-ovate from a cordate base, obscurely lobed, toothed; petioles short, stout, glandular; stipules small, pinnatisect. Young parts, petioles, peduncles, and leaves beneath, clothed with pale or dark rusty-brown wool Peru (?). Warm green-house. (B. H. 1874, 10; F. M. n. s. 89; G. C., 1873, 1112.) SYN. Passiflora insignis (B. M. 6069; F. d. S. 2083-4.) TACSONIA Jamesoni (Jameson's). fl. bright, rich rose-colour, large; tube cylindrical, 4in. long; flower-stalk shorter than the leaves. l. glabrous, sub-orbicular, three-lobed, 2in. long, 2 1/2in. broad. Ecuador. Greenhouse. TACSONIA manicata (collared).* fl. on peduncles which are longer than the petioles; tube inflated at base, ten-lobed; limb vivid scarlet, 4in. in diameter; corona double; the outer at the mouth of the tube, of many short, blue hairs; the inner at the top of the inflated base of the perianth; bracts elliptic-ovate, pubescent. July. l. about 4in. long, coriaceous, three-lobed to about the middle, finely serrate; lobes broadly oblong, obtuse or sub-acute, paler beneath; petioles about 1in. long, with three or four glands. Stem, leaves beneath, stipules, bracts, and perianth externally, finely pubescent. Peru, before 1850. Stove or warm greenhouse. (L. & P. F. G. i. 26.) SYN. Passiflora manicata (B. M. 6129). TACSONIA mixta (mixed). fl. pink; tube cylindrical, 4in. to 5in. long, glabrous or pubescent; sepals and petals obtuse; bracts oblong, 1 1/2in. to 2in. long, herbaceous or coloured, coalescing in an involucre. Late summer. fr. ovoid, glabrous or pubescent, edible. l. coriaceous, orbicular, three-lobed to the middle; lobes ovate-oblong, acute, serrated; petioles 1in. to 1 1/2in. long, with six to eight sessile or stipitate glands. Stem angular. Andes. Plant glabrous or more or less pubescent. Greenhouse. TACSONIA mixta eriantha (woolly-flowered). fl. pink; bracts reticulate-nerved. Plant snowy-pubescent. (B. M. 5750, under name of TACSONIA eriantha.) TACSONIA mixta quitensis (Quito). fl., involucre pubescent, cylindrical, equally or rarely unequally three-lobed at apex. l. nearly glabrous above, velvety beneath, three-lobed; lobes ovate or ovate-oblong; petiolar glands sessile. Stem velvety. (I. H. xvi. 595, under name of TACSONIA quitensis eriantha.) TACSONIA mixta speciosa (showy). fl., involucre pubescent, unequally two or three-lobed at apex. l. glabrous above, pubescent beneath, three-lobed; lobes oblong-lanceolate, uncinate-serrated; petiolar glands stipitate. Stem sub-terete, glabrous. TACSONIA mollissima (very soft).* fl. pink; tube cylindrical, 4in. to 5in. long, highly glabrous; bracts 1in. long, forming an urceolate involucre, irregularly cut at the top. August. fr. yellowish, ellipsoid, 4in. long. l. 4in. to 5in. long, 5in to 6in. broad, cordate-trilobed; lobes diverging, ovate-lanceolate, serrated; petioles 1 1/2in. long, glandular; stipules six to eight lines long, deeply serrated. Quito, 1845. Whole plant softly pubescent. Greenhouse. (B. H. vii., p. 142; B. M. 4187; B. R. xxxii. 11; F. d. S. ii. 70; P. M. B. xiii. 25.) TACSONIA Parritae (Parrita's). fl., tube long and slender; sepals five, rosy-orange, oblong-hooded, acute-pointed; petals rich orange, oblong, flat; corona consisting of an outer row of tooth-like projections, and an inner membranous fold bent downwards; stalks cylindrical, longer than the leaves. l. three-lobed, glabrous above, pilose beneath; petioles channelled above; stipules entire, subulate-acuminate. Tolima, 1882. Stove or greenhouse. (G. C. n. s., xvii., p. 225.) TACSONIA pinnatistipula (pinnate-stipuled). fl. pale rose-colour, 4in. to 6in. long; tube cylindrical, dilated at base: coronal filaments one-half shorter than the sepals and petals; bracts lin. long, serrated; peduncles 4in. long. September. fr. sub-globose, tomentose, edible. l. coriaceous, tomentose beneath, tripartite, 3in. to 5in. long, 3 1/2in. to 4in. broad; lobes lanceolate, serrated; petioles 1in. long; stipules 1in. long, pinnatisect. Chili and Peru, 1828. Greenhouse. (B. iv. 171; B. M. 4062; S. B. F. G. ser. ii. 156.) SYN. Passiflora pinnatistipula (B. R. 1536). Poggen-dorffia rosea is simply a monstrous form of this species. TACSONIA Van-Volxemii (Van Volxem's.)* fl. scarlet, very showy; tube cylindrical, 1 1/2in. long, dilated at base, the limb 4in. to 5in. in diameter; sepals and petals linear-oblong; peduncles slender, twice as long as the leaves; bracts 1in. long, serrated. Late summer. fr. ellipsoid, edible. l. glabrous, 4in. to 5in. long and broad, tripartite; lobes lanceolate, narrowed at base; petioles 1 1/2in. long, with many glands; stipules linear. New Grenada, 1866. Stove or warm greenhouse. One of the finest species. (B. M. 5571; F. M. 289; G. C. 1866. p. 171; I. H. x. 381.)