Passion Flowers
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The Blue Passion Flower (Passiflora caerulea), is a vine native to South America. It is popular with gardeners because of its intricate, scented flowers which attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The unusual shape of the flowers has led to it being associated in Christian symbolism with the passion of Jesus; the three stigmas representing the three nails used to nail Jesus to the cross, the ovary and its stalk represent the chalice of the Last Supper, the five anthers represent the five wounds, the corona represents the crown of thorns, the ten ‘petals’ (five petals and five sepals) the apostles (save Judas and Peter), the old leaves also represent the hands of those who persecuted Him, the young leaves the point of the lance used to stab Him, and the tendrils the whips of those who beat Him.
© 2005 Rachel Arbuckle
