Interesting Plant: Harlequin Glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum)

Interesting Plant: Harlequin Glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum)

By Wendy Cutler from Vancouver, Canada – 20111029_Semlin11th_ClerodendrumTrichotomum_Cutler_P1160870Uploaded by PDTillman, CC BY 2.0, Link

Discovered this via the article 13 unique and interesting plants to grow in your garden on the Greener Living Blog. There are quite a few plants I will highlight here in future posts. — Douglas

Clerodendrum trichotomum, the harlequin glorybowerglorytree or peanut butter tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India, and the Philippines[1].[2]

It is a large deciduous shrub, growing 3–6 metres (10–20 ft) high. The leaves are ovate, up to 12 cm (5 in) long, soft and downy or hairy, producing a peanut odor when crushed. The fragrant flowers are borne on branching peduncles. They have white petals, held within a green calyx which turns red as the fruits ripen. The fruits (drupes) are white, changing to bright blue and eventually dark blue on maturity.[3] They contain the novel blue pigment trichotomine.[4]

It is cultivated for its fragrant flowers, autumn colour, and ornamental berries. It is hardy but requires a sheltered position. The variety C. trichotomum var. fargesii (Farges’ harlequin glorybower) and the cultivar C. trichotomum var. fargesii ‘Carnival’[5] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society‘s Award of Garden Merit.[6] (confirmed 2017).[7]Wikipedia

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Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas