I took this photo while spending summer in a small cottage in the village of Carlux, in the south of France. The cottage had thick stone walls and out of the cracks in the walls grew passion flowers. I have since done some research into the name 'passion flowers' online and found this:
In 1620, a Jesuit priest in Peru 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. The vine tendrils were also supposed to represent the whips that were used to scourge Jesus.
I know there’s not a lot of science here. But, despite not being religious myself, I think it is an interesting story. Generally, I think it’s interesting just how much species’ names (both their Latin and common names) can reveal. So, despite the popular quote from act 2, scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, perhaps names really do make a difference.
For example, did you know…
Echinodermata, is a phylum name that means ‘spiny-’ (echino-) ‘skin’ (derm), or the ‘spiny skinned’ animals
Arthropoda, is a phylum name that means ‘joint-’ (arthro-) ‘foot’ (pod), or the ‘jointed-foot’ animals
Archaeopteyx, is a genus name that means ‘ancient-’ (archae-) ‘wing’ (pter), or the ‘ancient-winged’ animals
Amphioxus, is a common name that means ‘double-’ (amphi-) ‘pointed’ (oxus), or the ‘double-pointed’ animals (originally it was a genus name for the lancelets, which are pointed on both ends)
Homo erectus is a genus & species combination that means ‘man’ (homo) ‘upright’ (erectus), or ‘upright man’
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