I stumbled upon this Passion Flower or Passiflora growing wild in Naldehra. It has also been spotted in Koti and Mashobra. It was so symmetrical and so delicately tones that at first I took it to be artificial. Closer inspection, of course, told me otherwise. It was seen growing on vines up to 30 feet in height.Here are the botanic/scientific details before I go on to some interesting details heard locally about this flower.
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Sub-class: Rosidae
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Passifloraceae
Genus: Passiflora.
Padre Jonas tells me that the "passion" in Passion Flower refers not to the romantic aspect, but to the passion of Lord Jesus Christ. I noted down Padre's interpretation and found it backed up by Wikipedia, no less! According to the good Padre:
- The 10 petals represent the 10 Apostles, excluding St. Peter & Judas;
- The ovary, in its chalice shape, representsdenote the Holy Grail;
- The filaments (see the blue radial pointy things in picture above) represent the Crown of Thorns;
- The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the Holy Lance;
- The 3 stigmata denote 3 nails and 5 anthers, the 5 wounds suffered by Lord Jesus.
A local said it reminded him of a clock and, fair enough, I found that in various countries this plant is also known as "clock flower" or "clock plant".
B. says that the Passion Flower is grown as a medicinal herb and its leaves and the roots are often rather potent and are consequently used by villagers as mind-altering drugs. Once dried, the leaves can also be smoked. This herb is used in homoeopathic medicine for treating bronchial asthma, insomnia and anxiety.
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