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                                               Intro Mary Garden

The Passion Flower
                   .


John S. Stokes Jr.

       The Passion Flower with its various parts is seen as a
symbols of Jesus' scourging, crowning with thorns and crucifixion.

       This flower, a genus with numerous species, indigenous to the
tropical Americas, is unique among the hundreds of old Christian
flower symbols in that there is specific historical documentation
of the time and place of its origin - the symbolism having been
first perceived by the Mexican Augustinian friar, Emmanuel de
Villegas, who reported it, with sketches, in Europe in 1610.

       It is said that the test of the authenticity of the
biblical Prophets was the enduring acceptance of their prophecies
by the community.  The same can be said of religious flower
symbols, whatever their origin: if they achieve enduring
acceptance, this signifies, as in the case of the Passion Flower,
that they contain a certain "prophetic" unction which enriches
the faith and devotion of the believers.

       The endurance in religious oral tradition of the "galaxy"
of flower symbols of Our Lady, and of her life and her mysteries
from medieval times, as discovered and recorded for literate
tradition by botanists and folklorists, bears testimony to their
enriching prophetic unction, which we at Mary's Gardens propose for
wider knowledge and appreciation.

       The Passion Flower symbolism, as originally perceived, and
then augmented, includes:


The spiraled tendrils     - the lash of Christ's scourging

The central flower column - the pillar of the Scourging

The 72 radial filaments   - the Crown of Thorns

The top 3 stigma          - the 3 Nails

The lower 5 anthers       - the 5 wounds

The Style                 - the Sponge used to moisten
                            Christ's Lips with Vinegar

The leaves (some species) - the head of the Centurion's Spear

The red stains            - Christ's Blood Drops

The Round Fruit           - The World Christ came to save

The Fragrance             - The Spices prepared by the Holy
                            Women



       This multiple symbolism of the Passion Flower combines a
number of symbols found in flowers individually in the prior
traditions of the rural countrysides of the Old World, from which
the missionaries to the New World came.

      Thus, in the popular oral religious traditions of Spain,
Paliurus aculeatus was known as Espina de Cristo, "Christ's Thorn"
(by which name it is generally known today) and Espina Santa, "Holy
Thorn"; Pichomon acarna (?) as Azota-Christos, "Christ's Lash";
Gentiana cruciata, Cross Gentian, and others, as Hierba en Cruz,
"Herb of the Cross"; Ophioglossum vulgatum, Adder's-Tongue Fern, as
Lanza de Cristo, "Christ's Lance"; and Fumaria officinalis,
Fumitory, as Sangre de Cristo, "Christ's Blood".  Familiarity with
these or other plant symbols of the Passion and Cross of Christ no
doubt pre-disposed missionaries and their converts to discover
symbolism such as that of the Passion Flower, and to make
transferrences such as that of the symbolism of "Mary's Gold" from
the European Marigold, Calendula, to the golden Tagetes genus of the
New World.
   
       Such symbols gave a specific focus of Christian faith to
the religious sense of nature, and also provided a visual means
of teaching the Gospel story in an era where there were no
printed catechisms.

       And, once introduced into Europe, the Passion Flower soon
acquired other religious names, such as in Germany, Jesus-Leiden,
"Jesus' Passion"; Christos-Strauss, "Christ's Bouquet"; Herr-
Gotts-Blume, "Our Lord's Flower"; Dorn-Krone, "Crown of Thorns";
Christos-Krone, "Christ's Crown"; Marter, "Martyr"; and
Muttergottes-Schurzchen, "Mother-of-God's Star".
  
       Passion flowers, known throughout the world, are grown as
greenhouse plants in temperate climates, and often set out in the
garden in summer.  A marvellous book, Passion Flowers (2nd Edition),
by John Vanderplank, MIT Press, Cambridge, USA, 1996, describes 150
of the over 460 known species of Passiflora, with over 120
exquisite color photographs - magnificently documenting the
multi-splendored providential celebration of Christ's Passion of
this genus.  Information on the English National Collection
of Passiflora, of which John Vanderplank is curator, and passion
flower seeds is available through the Passion Flower Seed
Company website.



Copyright Mary's Gardens 1996, 1967