Passion Flower

About the Passion Flower

Spanish missionaries named it for the Passion of Christ - the 10 petals represent the 10 faithful apostles, the corona filaments represent the crown of thorns, the 5 stamens represent the 5 wounds, and the 3 styles represent the 3 nails. Passiflora edulis produces passion fruit. Over 550 species. Some produce some of the largest flowers in the world. The vine can grow 6 meters per year. Some species contain harmala alkaloids with mild psychoactive properties. They are the larval food plant for Heliconius butterflies. The maypop (P. incarnata) is native to the southeastern US.