It is easy to see where Clerodendrum paniculatum gets the common name Pagoda Flower. The flower clusters form towering pyramids of blooms throughout the warm months of the year. The coral-red flowers open from bottom to top over the course of the summer and fall.
Plants grow with one main stem rising straight up out of the ground to a height of 5-6 feet. This species spreads vigorously and quickly forms thickets of vertical stems, each topped by a mass of flowers.
Swallowtail butterflies in particular, find this steady supply of blooms to be appealing.
Clerodendrum paniculatum is very drought-tolerant, once established. Due to its spreading nature, this plant is best used in mixed borders, or as a backdrop for shorter plants. A native of southeast Asia, it is recommended for USDA Zones 8-11. In the warmer parts of its range, Pagoda Flower is evergreen. In the colder regions it grows as a perennial, going completely dormant each winter and re-emerging in spring.
2 comments:
Hi Jim, thanks for signing in as a follower of my blog. Because you are in subtropical climate we have almost the same plants. I looked at your Clerodendrum and they seem also different from mine here in the Philippines, though we have also the 2 you posted. I actually am not very sure of the ID of ours so just compared it with literatures. They are just growing in the wild here. http://abagillon.blogspot.com/2010/05/beauty-amidst-chaotic-environment.html
But which area in the US are you really? thanks.
Andrea, I think your ID is correct but I don't have that one (yet). I'm in Florida, and thanks for becoming a follower!
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