Purple Passion-flower, sometimes called "Maypops," is a common ground vine of the Carolina Piedmont. It blooms May to August and produces a yellowish egg-shaped fruit that is edible. In the photo above, a Yellow Crab Spider sits on the passion-flower's three-lobed leaf, undoubtedly awaiting an unsuspecting insect pollinator to approach the purple blossom.

Both the scientific name (Passiflora incarnata) and the common name of the passion-flower come from its supposed resemblance to aspects of Christ's crucifixion: five petals and five sepals (the ten disciples, minus Judas & Peter); outer fringe (the crown of thorns); five stamens (number of wounds Christ received); knob-like stigmas of the pistil (the nails).