| The Legend Of The
Beautiful Passionflower This is my rendition of a Passionflower. In reality they are much more beautiful. The lacy fringe is much thicker, and in the center it looks like intricate Indian beadwork. I hope you are more fortunate than I if you try to find some of these flowers. They are a tropical plant so are probably more plentiful in the South than here in New England where I live. To people who are familiar with them, they are also called "maypops" because when you step on the fruit that comes from the plant, they make a loud pop. These flowers also attract butterflies. I think the story of how the Passionflower got it's name is very interesting. The Roman Catholic priests found the flowers in Latin America and named them Passiflora because they thought the parts of the flower represented Christ's "passion". The ten large petals represent Christ's ten most faithful apostles. The fringe above the petals represent the crown of thorns placed on Christ's head. The five anthers are for the five wounds in Christ's body and the three stigmas are for the nails that were placed in his hands and feet when nailed to the cross. When we look at this flower, we not only see a very beautiful and interesting flower, but we also are reminded of the suffering that Christ endured to save us all. This web page was created by Linda Manthay 2000. Please visit my Homepage to read other stories such as this. Thank you. |
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