It's not a sandwich without HAM????

[Whazzup]

Okay - Felinefan wins!

[Princess Susi]

The complete reason for the name is the three spikes in the center resemble the nails used to crucify Jesus, the ring of bristles represents the crown of thorns He was forced to wear, and it usually blooms around Easter, when He was crucified, buried, and rose again. And I've known that for years, so I didn't need to look it up. We once had a passionvine in our backyard in a house we lived in when I was a kid. It was pretty, but it was years before I learned they also bear edible fruit.

We have a Winner!!!!!!! It is all about the crucifixion! They do bloom around Easter, but mine bloom all year round and in really good climates you can get them to bloom pretty much anytime. They are amazing flowers. I will post a pic of them. But I have never seen fruit on them. Maybe if I get them to a warm climate where they can actually live outdoors, and not in a big pot, maybe they will bear fruit. Though I also do not recall them bearing fruit when I had huge vines that ran along the whole backyard fence when I lived in California. Hmmmmmmmmmm...I am going to have to watch for that.

Do you want choc covered bacon or choc covered potato chips or choc coverd gummi bears? Let me know get me your address and I will ship the prize! Or name another chocolate treat that I can send you! :)

OR :twisted: ...I could ship you the evil Tinkerbell, our naughty cat as a prize!!! hehehehe...she will give you a run for your money! What a naughty, naughty cat she is!!!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: devilcat....
Nah, her daddy would miss her. They adore each other! She loves him so, as he does her double yechhhhhhhh....

She is such a turncoat. I saved her at the shelter and she cries when I hold her, so I hand her off to daddy and she purrs and cuddles, he hands her back to me, she cries and tries to get away, so I give her back to daddy and she relaxes and purrs and cuddles again!

She loves men. My dad (her grandpa! :p: ) is the love of her life. When my folks came to visit, she would sit outside the guest room door and wait til he came out and she would follow him all over the house and sit next to him when he had his coffee at the counter and follow him to the couch and lie next to him. She adores my dad.

It is weird how they pick their favorite person. Tawny is alllllllllll mine. :D: She has been my best friend since 1992. She is the best cat in the world and sticks by me no matter what!

But Tink! Grrrrrr....last time I pick the rescue cats. Ralphie can pick em next, maybe then they will come to ME! We are going to get two more kittens soon, I am hoping in the next couple weeks before my surgery. I won't be able to do ANYTHING for 6 weeks, so I will have my little bedwarmers to cuddle and play with. I LOVE kittens! And it is my firm hope that they will torture Tinkerbell for all the grief she is giving the other kittys, (Tawny and Oliver) now! :twisted: hehehehe
Princess S

[Princess Susi]

Here is an excerpt from a page about the legend:

Legend has it that in 1620 a Jesuit Priest came across the plant we now know as passion flower. Enthralled with its beauty, that night he had a vision likening its floral parts to the elements of the Crucifixion or Passion of Christ. The five petals and five sepals became the ten apostles (omitting Peter and Judas). The three pistils became the nails of the cross; the purple corona (or filaments) was the crown of thorns, and the stemmed ovary was the Lord's goblet

This was from another page about the plant which included a picture of the fruit...very interesting:

Passion flowers (Passiflora spp.) are perennial woody vines, mostly from tropical America but with a few species originating in Asia, Australasia and the Polynesian Islands. They climb through the supporting vegetation by means of coiled tendrils. Many of them have showy fragrant flowers and several produce edible fruits.
How did the passion flower get its name? When Christian missionaries arrived in South America in the 16th century, they found a plant which they felt was a good omen for their mission. They called it the passion flower because to them it symbolized the death of Christ. The five sepals and five petals of the flower, which are similar in appearance, represent the disciples without Peter and Judas. The double row of colored filaments, known as the corona, signifies the halo around Christ's head or the crown of thorns. The five stamens and the three spreading styles with their flattened heads symbolize the wounds and the nails respectively. The vines tendrils resemble the whips used to scourge Christ.

Here is a picture of flower and fruit:





Here is MY Passion Flower Plant


Here it is with lots of blooms!



Here is a flower up close!



Beautiful, huh? Interesting thing about the blooms, they open up and bloom for one day then close, and that's it. They dry up and fall off after one day of blooming.
I love the Passion Flower and am amazed I actually have kept them thriving here in Denver for several years now. They go with me when we move! But I have never seen fruit on mine yet. Maybe if I get it planted in the ground... We had em all over Santa Rosa and Berkeley CA when I lived there.

[Ms. Matterhorn]

She loves men. My dad (her grandpa! :p: ) is the love of her life. When my folks came to visit, she would sit outside the guest room door and wait til he came out and she would follow him all over the house and sit next to him when he had his coffee at the counter and follow him to the couch and lie next to him. She adores my dad.
It is weird how they pick their favorite person. Tawny is alllllllllll mine. :D: She has been my best friend since 1992. She is the best cat in the world and sticks by me no matter what!

Princess S

So funny, Susi! My 27 lb cat, Rocky (he's lost weight, down from 30!), loves my husband best! And I had Rocky for 5 years before I even met my husband. When DH is not at home, Rocky cries and sits in his chair until he comes home. But Rocky's sister Sabrina loves me best! Cats are funny.

[Whazzup]

Susi - your passionflower vine is beautiful! Have you tried using a small brush and pollinating the flowers? Maybe that's why they don't produce fruit. They do like a lot of sun, too. Yours will probably do well when you move to Florida. The passionflower vine is one of the host plants for the Gulf Fritilary, which is a pretty butterfly that we see a lot of. The caterpillars feed on the leaves and may make swiss cheese out of your vines, but the flowers will still bloom and the fruit will still develop. Here's a link to a picture:
http://www.worldofstock.com/closeups/NIN1232.php

They also like lantanas, pentas, and other flowering plants, but they LOVE passionflower vines.

[felinefan]

No Susi, don't send your kitty! Tripod doesn't like other girl kitties, and Mom would stroke! Last thing we need is to have your cat and Tripod fighting, and the manager finding out we have a cat but mom decided not to pay the $250 pet deposit and $25/mo pet rent. Bad enough I have an eviction on my record--mom doesn't need one too! She hasn't been feeling well lately, anyhow. Okay, one PM, coming right up! :D: