Passion Flower
Red Passion Flower
Passiflora coccinea or Passiflora vitifolia [?]
Passion Flower
Passion Flower Close-Up
Passiflora incarnata
Super lovely passion flowers from Pinecrest Park, FL.
Passion flowers are widespread and there are over 500 species with only 9 being native to the US.
But tell me, is the name for the passion of love? Ah! Not so quick!!
The passion flower’s namesake
The flower received its name from 15th and 16th century Spanish monks for the passion of Jesus Christ as they took spiritual meaning from the unique characteristics of the flower. The physicality of the of the flower represented Jesus’ last days.
+ Pointed leaf tips = the Holy Lance
+ Tendrils = flagellation whips
+ 10 petals/sepals = 10 apostles
+ Radial filaments = crown of thorns
+ Ovary (chalice shaped) = Holy Grail
+ 3 stigmata = 3 nails
+ 5 anthers = 5 wounds
Not everyone equated the flower with biblical meaning – in Israel and Japan its known as the clock flower because it resembles the face of a clock.
Passion Flower & Bugs
Because of the structure of the flower, it requires a large bee (like a carpenter bee), or a bat or hummingbird to pollinate it; some of the flowers self pollinate while others are self sterile.
The passion flower can produce a super sweet nutrient rich super food from leaf stem glands that attract ants. The ants take care of chomping down on other pests that may harass the flower. The flower is also a host plant for swift moth, longwing butterflies, leopard lacewings, and postman butterflies and the poison in its leaves gives the larva a poisonous quality to help them ward of predators. In fact, the snazzy passion flower is so popular that sometimes it creates little white bumps to mimic eggs in order to cheat the No Vacancy sign for fertile bugs.
Passion Flower & Humans
Most of the kinds of passion flowers have blooms that last only one day. But the fruit that comes from the flower is used for its sweet juice. The leaves of the Maypop line (the purple/blue swirly one above) has also been used to make an infusion to help out with all sorts ails from hysteria & insomnia to epilepsy and as a mild painkiller.
Some species of passion flower contain betacarboline harmala alkaloids (MAOIs) that are pretty well known for their use in antidepressants. The roots usually have more concentrated levels. Some of the flowers have poisonous qualities that are adverse to humans (and not just pesky bugs). The flower has been studied some, but it’s being researched even more vigorously for more medicinal perks including generalized anxiety disorder.
Passion flower = relax. Ah, yes.
