Family: Passifloraceae Genus: Passiflora
Species: Passiflora caerulea L.
Common Name(s): passion flower, blue passion flower, brazilian passion flower, blue passionfruit, blue-crown passion flower
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Passiflora caerulea, the passion flower, is native to South America and is the national plant of Paraguay. It is a vigorous, deciduous or semi-evergreen vine with tendrils, capable of reaching up to 25 meters in height when supporting trees are available. Its fragrant flowers are blue-white with a prominent fringe of coronal filaments in bands of blue, white, yellow, and brown.
Etymology
The “passion” in passion flower refers to the passion of Jesus in Christian theology. The word passion comes from the Latin “passio,” meaning suffering. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially his crucifixion:160
The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the Holy Lance.
The tendrils represent the whips used in the flagellation of Christ.
The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles (excluding St. Peter, who denied Jesus three times, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him).
The flower’s radial filaments, which can number more than a hundred and vary from flower to flower, represent the crown of thorns.
The chalice-shaped ovary with its receptacle represents the Holy Grail.
The three stigmas represent three nails, and the five anthers below them represent five hammers or five wounds (four by the nails and one by the lance).
The blue and white colors of the flowers represent Heaven and Purity.
In addition, the flower is open for three days, symbolizing the three years of Jesus’ ministry.161
Gastronomy
The plant produces edible fruits, usually yellow or orange when ripe. However, these fruits are often considered bland or undesirable in taste, leading them to be less commonly consumed compared to fruits from other passionflower species.162