Nature's Tribute to the Passion

On my recent search for the latest Catholic news I came across a reference to the passion flower, which the Spanish conquistadors saw as symbolic of the Passion. The petals are the apostles, five stamens the sacred wounds, ovary the hammer, three pistils the nails, fringed crown the crown of thorns, spots under the leaves the thirty coins of silver and tendrils the cords. One property of the passion flower is especially applicable to the Risen Christ, its immunity from disease and pests.