The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-03-30

A3l accomplished persons Bosio there
fore, saw clearly that it was his duty to
give it to the world as the most marvel
Gus example of the croce trionfante
hitherto discovered in forest or in field.
The flower represents he tells us. not
so directly the cross of our Lord as the
great mysteries of his passion. 1t is n
native of the Indies, of Peru and of New
Spain, where the Spaniards call it "the
flower of the five wounds"
Bosio, who had never seen the flower,
described it, however, in his book. The
description was as stupendous as was
BDsiO's idea of the flower, but full Of
errors. The stir, however, which his
work and tho ingenious persons of Bo-
logna caused among the botanisss and
theologians of Italy, soon brought about
the introduction of the plant itself, and
before the year 1926 it had, established it.
self and blossomed at Rome. IT'S native
Indian name was maracOt, hut in Italy it
was usually known as the passion flower,
the name which it has retained through
out Europe to this day.
Aldmus, u man of SCIENCE as well as q
ghristian, gives very beautiful descrip-
tion of the flower, in which he shows what
Investigators, relgiously inclined, may
find in it:
''The nails on the top are represented so
exactly that nothing more perfect can be
imagined. They are sometimes three,
sometimes four, in number; and there is
difference Of opinion as to the number
of nails used in fastening our Lord TO the
cross. In the open flower they are
twisted and marked with dark, blood like
spots, as If they had been already removed
from the cross
"The small undeveloped seed vessel may
be compared to the sponge full of vinegar
offered to our Lord. The star form of
the half open flower may represent the
star Of the wise men; but the five petals,
fully opened, the five wounds. The base of
the ovary is the column of the flagella-
zion. The filaments represent the scourges
spotted with blood, and the purple circle
on them is the crown of thOrns, blood
covered. The white petals symbolic the
purity and brightness of our Lord and
his white robe. The sub-petals, white in.
side and green without, figure hope and
purity, and are sharply pointed, as If to
indicate the ready eagerness with which
each ono of the faithful should embrace
and consider the mysteries of the passion.
The leaves of the whole plant are set on
singly, for there Is one God, but are triply
divided, for there arc three persons. The
but can not do SO without support. So
the Christian, whose nature it is to climb,
demands constant assistance. Cut down,
1t readily springs up again, and whoever
holds the mysteries Of the passion in his
heart can not be hurt by the evil world.
It's fruit is sweet and delicate, and the
passion Of our Lord brings sweet and de-
lectable fruit to u.s.
1t is probable that the first passion
flower seen in England was not brought
from Italy, but was introduced from Vir-
ginia At any rate, the Incarnata, Vir-
ginian species, Is that described by John
Parkinson, one OF the earliest English
botanists. Parkinson proposed to call it
Clematis Virginiana, the virgin climber;
partly with reference to the province from
which 1t came, and partly (as the province
itself had been named) in honor of the
"bright occidental STAR" Queen Eliza
beth, the glories Of whose reign were still
freshly remembered. But the passion
flower has retained its Italian name (Fior
della Passione) and much of its early
significance. 1t has been accepted, espe-
cially in recent church decoration, ms q
worthy companion of the rose and the lily
sacred symbols from the most ancient
times.
Nearly every one has read of the ia
nous rose of Jericho, or holy rose, n low,
gray leaved annual, utterly unlike rose,
growing sbundantly in the arid wastes OF
Egypt and elsewhere 1t exhibits, in n
rare degree, hygrometric action in its
process OF reproduction. During the hot
season 1t blooms freely, growing close to
the ground, bearing its leaves and bios
SONS upon its upper surface; when these
fall OF, the stems become dry, curving
upward and inward until the plant be-
comes ball OF twigs, containing It's closed
seed vessels In the center, and held to the
sand by a short, fberless root. In this
condition 1t is readily freed by the winds,
and blown across the desert until it