In our neck of the woods... the beautiful but little known passion flower.
We're lucky to have quite a few of these amazing plants growing wild on our property. I had never heard of them until we moved here six years ago.
These plants are vines that climb on other plants, but rarely more than about six feet high. The flowers are stunning and exotic-looking, yet they are native to Missouri and much of the eastern United States. The flowers are awesome, and the resulting fruits are delicious. The fruits are sometimes called Maypops because when the fruits ripen (in May in southern locations), they pop loudly when you squeeze them. Anyway, inside the fruits are a bunch of seeds coated with delicious sweet gooey stuff (kind of like pomegranates). When Trish and I find these when we are on a walk, we pop them open, slop the seeds into our mouths, and suck all the gooey goodness off before spitting out the seeds.
Passion flowers got their name when early Spanish missionaries came to the Americas and came up with the idea that certain aspects of the flower represented Christ's crucifixion (referred to as the "passion").
These flowers are great for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. They also have a long history of medicinal uses, to relieve anxiety, insomnia, pain, epilepsy and high blood pressure. Anyway, I just like the beauty of the flowers and the yumminess of the gooey fruits.
Photo Credits:
- Passion flower - Stan C. Smith
- Passion flower with fruit - DepositPhotos
These plants are vines that climb on other plants, but rarely more than about six feet high. The flowers are stunning and exotic-looking, yet they are native to Missouri and much of the eastern United States. The flowers are awesome, and the resulting fruits are delicious. The fruits are sometimes called Maypops because when the fruits ripen (in May in southern locations), they pop loudly when you squeeze them. Anyway, inside the fruits are a bunch of seeds coated with delicious sweet gooey stuff (kind of like pomegranates). When Trish and I find these when we are on a walk, we pop them open, slop the seeds into our mouths, and suck all the gooey goodness off before spitting out the seeds.
Passion flowers got their name when early Spanish missionaries came to the Americas and came up with the idea that certain aspects of the flower represented Christ's crucifixion (referred to as the "passion").
These flowers are great for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. They also have a long history of medicinal uses, to relieve anxiety, insomnia, pain, epilepsy and high blood pressure. Anyway, I just like the beauty of the flowers and the yumminess of the gooey fruits.
Photo Credits:
- Passion flower - Stan C. Smith
- Passion flower with fruit - DepositPhotos
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