Passionflower (passiflora incarnata)

STORIES: "The passion flower (Passiflora sp.) is so named because a seventeenth century monastic scholar felt it to be his duty to tell the world of a flower that not only represented the cross of Christ but also the other mysteries of the passion - the crown of thorns (corolla filaments), the 3 nails (the stigma and the columns of the flagellation as they appear on ecclesiastical banners (the androgynophore - stigma tube). The base of the androgynophore is a gold color with 5 red spots representing the five wounds recieved by Christ. There are 72 filaments, which according to tradition is the number of thorns in the crown of thorns. The lance shaped leaves represent the spear that pierced his body and the underside of the leaf is marked with dark round spots representing the 30 pieces of silver that Judas was paid to betray Christ. "
Other religious names it is known by: Jesus-Leidenin,"Jesus' Passion"; Christos-Strauss, "Christ's Bouquet"; Herr-Gotts-Blume, "Our Lord's Flower"; Dorn-Krone, "Crown of Thorns";Christos-Krone, "Christ's Crown"; Marter,"Martyr"; and Muttergottes-Schurzchen, "Mother-of-God's Star".

DESCRIPTION: P. incarnata "May Pops" or "May Apple". Mauve and white fragrant flowers up to 3.5 inches bloom May to November. Herbaceous and very hardy. Lacy twining foliage, vigorous grower to 30 feet and free flowering outdoors in warm sunny climate. Perennial that dies back to -20 every winter. Produces a tangy yellow edible apricot-like fruit.

BOOKS & INFO: There are many more varieties of passionflowers. I will be adding more here soon so BOOKMARK and return!

Passion Flowers by John Vanderplank, MIT Press, Cambridge, USA, 1996, (2nd Edition) Describes 150 of the over 460 known species of Passiflora, with over 120 color photographs. Covers classification and structure, cultivation, propagation, the varieties, hybridization, pests and diseases, with appendices on identification, useful addresses, and glossary.

SOURCES: Seeds are available through these websites:
UK National Collection of Passiflora
The Banana Tree
San Marcos Growers
Plants are available from:
Richters Herbs
Jung Seeds
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