Harlequin Glorybower
Clerodendrum trichotomum
Mint family (Lamiaceae)
For whoever loves peanut butter
Whoever has rubbed the leaves of this plant will know how well its alternative English name - the peanut butter shrub - fits. The smell of peanut butter wafts down from the small, inconspicuous leaves.
The species is native to the upland forests from Japan and China and across to India. It is not a tree but an oversized, moderately frost hardy shrub that comes into leaf late in the spring. The striking white flowers have a green calyx that turns red in the autumn as the deep blue fruits ripen. The pigment trichotomine is responsible for this bright blue colouration.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Poort Bulten Aboretum.
The leaves release an aroma similar to peanut butter when crushed. The fragrant flowers are borne on branched peduncles.
This tree attracts the greatest number of bees in the Poort Bulten Arboretum ans is thus the greatest honey producer.
The flowers are favoured by bees and butterflies.
Seed is poisonous if ingested and handling the plant can cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
The powdered seed is used to kill lice.
Details
| Description: | Tree, shrub, 3-6 m. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | Eastern asia: china, japan, korea |
| Habitat: | Mountain slopes, thickets, 0 - 2400 m in altitude. |
| Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
| Hardiness: | Colder than -4 f (very hardy) |
| Flowering period: | Juli - september |
| Flower color: | White, red |
| Notes on flowers: | White petals held within a green calyx that reddens as the fruit ripens. |
| Fruiting period: | September - oktober |
| Fruit color: | Blue |
| Notes on fruits: | Staalblauwe bes. |
| At its best: | Juli - oktober |