ORDER PASSIFLORE^E, OR PASSION-FLOWER TRIBE. 439 



styles, the nails by which he was fixed to the cross ; in the 



column which rises from 

 the bottom of the flower, 

 the pillar to which he was 

 bound ; and a number of 

 little fleshy threads which 

 spread from its cup, they 

 compared to the crown of 

 thorns. It seems difficult 

 to imagine how such a 

 notion could have been 

 suggested to them; since 

 the general aspect of the 

 flower does not appear 

 such as to be likely to 

 excite it. Various species 

 of Passion Flower are now 

 naturalised in this country ; 

 and are beautiful orna- 

 ments to the fronts of 

 houses, garden walls, or 

 trellis-work, over which 

 they may be trained. They sometimes climb to the tops of high 

 trees, and hang down in elegant festoons from their branches. 

 On examining the flower, we find that the calyx has five sepals, 

 which are usually green on the outside, but are yellow, red, 

 blue, or purple in their interior. The petals are equal in num- 

 ber to the sepals, and are of the same colour with their inside ; 

 sometimes, however, they are absent. Next within these, we 

 do not at once come, as we might expect, to the stamens ; but 

 we meet with several rings of beautiful fleshy threads, which 

 spread from the calyx like rays, and are splendidly variegated 

 with crimson or blue-and- white. These diminish in size towards 

 the centre of the flower ; and at last. lose themselves, as it w r ere, 

 in some little rings, that surround the base of the column, which 

 now presents itself in the centre. These threads are to be re- 

 garded either as stamens or petals in an undeveloped state ; it is 



FIG. 160. BRANCH of PASSION-FLOWEK. 



