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Why were passion flowers given their name by early Roman Catholic missionaries?

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weeping willow tree — Malpighiales Weeping willow (*Salix babylonica*).

Early Roman Catholic missionaries named the passion flower (Passiflora) after the Passion of Jesus Christ, as they believed the unique structure of the blossom symbolized the events of his final hours and Crucifixion.12

The missionaries interpreted the flower's anatomy as follows:

Corona: The threadlike filaments were seen to represent the crown of thorns.12
Stamens: The five pollen-producing structures symbolized the five wounds of Christ.12
Styles: The three spreading styles were associated with the nails used to pin Jesus to the cross.12
Sepals and Petals: The five sepals and five petals were thought to represent 10 of the Apostles, excluding Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him, and St. Peter, who denied him three times.12

This symbolic association is the origin of the name for the genus, which belongs to the family Passifloraceae within the order Malpighiales.13