Passiflora

Or Passion Flower, with it's meaning of the Symbol of Christ’s Passion and Cross: including his scourging, crowning with thorns, three nails and five wounds.

This one is one of many in our front garden.

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 (less St. Peter the denier and Judas Iscariot the betrayer).

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 a hammer or the Holy Grail

The 3 stigmata represent the 3 nails and the 5 anthers below them the 5 wounds (four by the nails and one by the lance).

The blue and white colours of many species’ flowers represent Heaven and Purity.