Tennessee State Wildflower

The Passions Flower (Passiflora) really should have been named as Tennessee's state flower as a bill in 1919 had the Tennessee school children choose a state flower and they chose the Passion Flower. The passion flower, locally known as the Maypop, received its name from the early Christian missionaries who saw the flower as images of the Crucifixion; the three crosses, the crown of thorns, nails, and cords. The passion flower also bears a fruit that is used locally to make jelly. In 1973, it was officially named as the state's wildflower.