Still called the “Flower of the Five Wounds” in Latin America, the Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) was portrayed as a symbol of Christ’s crucifixion in a 1610 religious treatise. The fringes represent the crown-of-thorns; the three knobby styles are the nails in the cross; the five anthers are Christ’s wounds; the five petals and five sepals were the ten apostles (excluding Judas who betrayed Jesus and Peter who denied Jesus). The prolific vine with edible fruits is found in most of the eastern United States. It is is the host plant of the Gulf and Variegated Fritillaries, Zebra Longwing, and Julia butterflies.
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