John M. MacDougal received his doctorate degree in botany from Duke University, specializing in the taxonomy of passionflowers. He recently retired as conservatory manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden to pursue full-time studies of Passiflora. He is a founding member of the Passiflora Society International, and with more than 45 publications on passionflowers, he is considered an expert on the family, especially in Mexico and Central America.