Passiflora edulis 'Possum Purple'

Possum Purple passion fruit / passion flower

The name “passion flower” derives from its use by Spanish Jesuit missionaries in South America to teach about Christ’s Passion. The three stigmas recall the three nails in Christ’s hands and feet; the five anthers are a reminder of the five wounds or the hammers used to drive the nails; the vine’s tendrils resemble the whips used in His scourging; and the flower filaments symbolize the crown of thorns He bore. The colorful petals and sepals symbolized the glory of the Resurrection, with the white tint symbolizing Christ’s purity and the blue tint symbolizing heaven. Since they are ten in number, the sepals and petals also recall the ten apostles; the two omitted being Judas who betrayed Jesus and Peter who denied Him. Purple color in the flowers corresponds to the purple color of the robe put on Jesus to mock His royalty.

The fruits of this plant are known as passion fruit, which enjoys popularity throughout the world. It can be eaten raw by simply cutting the fruit in half lengthwise and spooning out the seedy pulp. The seeds may either be eaten or strained out. The seeds are usually preserved in jams, but for most other uses, they are removed. Some varieties of passion fruit are more sour than sweet, so sugar is added. The juice may be used as is after squeezing or boiled down to create a more viscous liquid well suited for use as a dessert ingredient/topping; passion fruit mousse is a popular dessert in Brazil.

In America, we are most familiar with passion fruit juice, which is most often used to make drinks in combination with other juices. It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s that passion fruit juice became widely known to Americans, thanks to Hawaiian Punch, which is made up of seven flavors: apricot, guava, apple, orange, papaya, pineapple, and passion fruit. Here’s one of the earliest commercials for it:

The passion flower contains a compound known as passiflorine, which is receiving attention for its potential use as a sedative.