Revision of Passiflora Subgenus Decaloba ... - Passion Flowers

the limen floor possessed five spots resembling human blood, symbolizing the
five wounds. The 72 inner coronal filaments were believed, according to
tradition, to be the number of thorns that were found on Christ’s crown. The
leaves were spear-shaped, representing the lance that pierced Christ’s side.
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Finally, the glands found on the undersides of the leaf were thought to signify the
thirty pieces of silver that were paid to Judas to betray Christ (Bosio, 1610; Hoch,
1934; Kugler, 1997; Morren, 1842; Vanderplank, 2000). Since Bosio’s account,
others have described differing religious symbolisms and allegories in the various
parts of the passionflower, but many have disputed the superstitions. For
example, Castelli wrote, “I do not see in the entire plant a cross nor indication of
the passion of Christ, nor nail-shaped styles, nor spear - it is pure fiction. On this
account and on torturing my spirit, I would see the passion in an infinity of
flowers” (Castelli, 1625:56). For further information about the legends
surrounding the passionflower see Hoch (1934), Kugler (1997), and Vanderplank
(2000).
From 1570-1577 Francisco Hernández, the personal physician of King Philip II
of Spain, traveled in the Americas in search of new medicines. Hernández spent
his time in México and enlisted native guides, artists, herbalists, and physicians
to teach him about the materia medica, resulting in the earliest treatment of
México’s natural history. However, it was not until 1651 that his manuscript was
published in Rerum medicarum Novæ Hispaniæ thesaurus seu plantarum
animalium mineralium Mexicanorum historia. In it was the first description of a
plant from supersection Cieca, Passiflora sexocellata Schltdl. Hernández gave