What Is The National Flower of Paraguay?

What Is The National Flower of Paraguay?

The Blue Passionflower is the national flowerof Paraguay. Passifloracaeruleais the scientific name of Passionflower and it is commonly known as blue passionflower, blue crown passionflower or common passion flower. In Paraguay, it is locally known as mburucuyá in Guaraní.

The main reason as to why the blue passionflower is the national flower of Paraguay lies in the fact that these flowers of unique beauty can be found in excessive amount in the forests and also in the walls along the houses of Paraguay. The mass availability made this white beautiful flower the national flower of Paraguay.

Facts about Paraguay’s National Flower (Blue Passionflower)

  • Common Name: Blue Passionflower
  • Genus: Passiflora
  • Species: caerulea
  • Found in: Margins of forests and gaps and in riparian zones (banks of watercourses)
  • Color: White with pink flush
  • Number of petals: 5
  • Time of blooming: Early Summer to Early Fall
  • Purpose: Ornamental flower

Passionflower is the favorite national flower symbol of Paraguay.Passifloracaerulea is a woody climber and it usually grows up to 25 meters high, depending on auxiliary tree height. The stems of P. caerulea are quite short. Leaves are palmately 5-lobed (sometimes 3 or 7 lobes), 10-18 cm long and wide. The base of each leaf has a twining tendril 5-10 cm long, which helps to support the plant by twining on the supporting plant.Flowers of P.

caerulea are about 10cm diameter with 5 sepals and petals that are similar in appearance. 5 greenish-yellow stamens and 3 purple stigmas. The fruit is an orange-yellow berry 6 cm long by 4 cm diameter, containing many seeds. This exotic beauty can be of different colors, but the most captivating is the white flower which is sometimes pink- flushed with a ring of blue, white and purple flaments. The passionflower trees are native to southern Brazil and Argentina. They are generally evergreen flowers in tropical climates and deciduous in areas where winter is cool.

The passionflower trees have been known to survive in temperatures as low as 5 degree Fahrenheit.The national flower of Paraguay, Passifloracaerulea, is widely cultivated as a wall-climber or as groundcover. In areas with milder temperatures, it can be grown outside, and can become intrusive as the twining shoots keep appearing unless they are eradicated. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The flowers are found to contain numerous seeds; it is eaten, and the seeds are spread by mammals and birds.

It is edible to humans, but bland in flavor. In tropical climates, it will flower all year round. Though the fruit is edible, it is rather insipid when eaten raw. It can be a substitute for blackberries. A tea can be made of the flower which is believed to alleviate stress and anxiety. However, tetraphyllin B and epi-tetraphyllin B, cyanogenic glycosides (which liberate hydrogen cyanide when activated by enzymes), have been found in the leaves.

It is possible to boil away most of the cyanide.To sum up, though the blue passionflower may not relate a whole lot to the culture and traditions of Paraguay, it is still the national flower of this country because no other flower grows in this excessive amount as the Blue Passionflower. The passionflower truly is an amazing beauty.

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