In the beautiful Cottagewood garden memory care unit, where
Mrs. T. now resides, nearby the gazebo where we were recently sitting, I found
an unknown to me flowering vine. The flowers color & structure were both stunning
and unique. Take a look. (Photograph by my friend at Cottagewood Autumn Kunz)
A bit later I met the lady who had originally planted the passion vine as she began to water it.
In Patrick Jesse Pons-Worley book, The Passionfruit
Cookbook, he writes, “Early explorers Spanish explorers felt that the passion flower had a special
purpose to promote the spiritual life among the people where it grew”
Then he goes on to explain the beautiful meaning of each
part of the plant:
“The spiraled tendons of the plant, he notes, were taken as
symbols of the lashes Christ endured, and the central flower column as the
pillar of the scourging. The 72 radial filaments of the flower were seen as the
crown of thorns; the three stigmas as symbols of the nails used in the
crucifixion, as well as the holy Trinity; the five anthers, as the five wounds
of Christ; and the style as the sponge doused in vinegar used to moisten
Christ’s lips. Taken together, the five petals and five sepals were used to
refer to the ten apostles who did not either betray or deny Christ. The
fragrance of the flower, continued Pons-Worley, helped recall the spices used
to embalm the body of Christ. Finally, its globular egg-size fruit was taken as
a symbol of the world that Christ saved through his suffering.”
The vine had been planted along the garden fence in memory
of her mother. All she knew of it was
the name and after some discussion I said I would try to find out more about it to determine
whether it was winter hardy Minnesota. The answer was mostly doubtful on the
subject of winter survival, although with over 500 species of it worldwide, most
of which are tropical plants, there might be a few exceptions. Thus volunteering,
I apparently inherited the plant in the attempt to keep it alive in
our basement. I’ve managed that in the past with
orchid cactuses. Hopefully. next spring it will be returned to it present location
in the memory care garden to thrive and
bloom once again bringing joy to all the memory care residence residents…
In summing up this perhaps quaint review the passion I had developed immediately upon first sight of a flowering vine, led me to a cookbook which was the first one I had ever purchased. Gardening, flowers, history, cooking (a new venture for me), religion etc. A good book for me. Perhaps you as we depending on you interests!
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@Barrie Summy
