Passion Flower

This is a Passion flower (Passiflora caerulea).They are easy to grow and the ones I have seen locally are vining. I love the delicate composition of these beauties...did you know that in this case, 'passion' does not refer to love, but to the Passion of Christ? Centuries ago, when the flower was discovered, its structure was believed to be symbols of the Crucifixion. There are 72 radial filaments that represent the Crown or Thorns. There are 12 petals (white in this picture) that represent the twelve faithful apostles. The top 3 stigmata represent the Holy Trinity (or the 3 nails that held Jesus on the cross). The lower 5 anthers represent the his five wounds.