Story of the Passion Flower

I took this photo at a park in downtown Kingsville that the Master Gardeners of Kleberg County take care of. This passion flower grows very well in south Texas and I think is one of the most unusual flowers around. The bees love it. Many people have ask me about it and I tell them that there is a story behind this flower, so I thought I would post the story about this wonderful flower.

Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps providentially, each part of the passion flower could be linked to elements in the story of Christ's Passion.

An Augustine monk brought the flower to Rome in the 1600's and it caused quite a stir. The Passion Flower symbolism, as originally perceived, and then augmented, includes:

The spiraled tendrils - the lash of Christ's scourging

The central flower column - the pillar of the Scourging

The 72 radial filaments - the Crown of Thorns

The top 3 stigma - the 3 Nails

The lower 5 anthers - the 5 wounds

The Style - the Sponge used to moisten Christ's Lips with Vinegar

The leaves (some species) - the head of the Centurion's Spear

The red stains - Christ's Blood Drops

The Round Fruit - The World Christ came to save

The Fragrance - The Spices prepared by the Holy Women