In the Know Filled with irony, at first glance passion flower sounds like an herb meant to get you off the couch and onto the dance floor. Though zeal, enthusiasm, fervor is implied in its name, passion flower actually couldn't incite a flea to a grass-rolling cat if it wanted to. Widely known to actually induce whole body, mind and spirit calm, you might wonder, then, how this plant got its name. Naturally, there's a story here. ... What's in a Name? Some Passion Flower History Even if you are not a practicing Christian, you're likely familiar with the term the passion of Christ, which referred to Jesus of Nazareth's last days on earth, specifically his crucifixion. Though in 1569 a Spanish doctor in Peru is said to have discovered passion flower, eventually this remarkable plant found itself in the clutches of Spanish missionaries, who saw in its three stigmas, five stamens, and ten sepals an actual representation of Jesus' crucifixion.