The passion flower
Passiflora spp is associated with the Passion of Christ because of the shape of its flowers.
Wikipedia explains the Christian symbolism in handy dot points. You often see passion flowers used as a motif in churches in Holy Week, particularly in embroidered altar cloths and priestly regalia. Sadly this one, which is the common commercial fruit producing species
P. edulis, is an escapee, growing in the bush on Brown Mountain in New South Wales. It is native to South America.
6 comments:
They can be absolute beasts... my Mum planted one just outside our lounge... it stayed there for about three years... the fourth year it was found growing inside as well!! Via the window frame.... it got moved very rapidly... but came back... so presumably it regrew from the root.
Lovely plant though... in the right place!!
There are lots of passiflora species - the hardy outdoor one will produce lots of fruit even in northern England, but they aren't the edible passionfruit. P.
Tim: yes, the flowers are lovely.
Pauline: there's more than one edible species too. P. edulis is just the one easiest to cultivate, but not the nicest edible species. People who have the right climate grow the big yellow fruiting species by preference.
We have the fruiting one....we brought back seeds from some super fruit we had in Nicaragua and they are half again as large as the ones grown here.
Wonderful for drinks in hot weather!
I have my eye on a scarlet flowering passion flower up the road, but it is very shy with seeds so i may have to ask for a cutting.
Fly: you'd be well placed to grow any of them -- yum!
Y toda la planta sirve para hacer infusiòn, para el sistema nervioso. Es calmante, relajante. Saludos desde argentina
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