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Malaysian Flora USDA Zone 11
Welcome to our exotic world of everlasting summers and tropical rainforests!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Clerodendrum wallichii - Bridal Veil

This is a plant with fragrant white flowers that blooms around Thanksgiving.

Its common names are: Bridal Veil, Nodding Clerodendrum, Wallich's Glorybower, Nutans Bleeding Heart, Pendant Clerodendrum

In Chinese, 垂茉莉 (chui mo li) meaning hanging jasmine


Would you like to contribute your local name too?


Scientific name: Clerodendrum wallichii
Synonym: Clerodendrum nutans
Family: Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae)
Origin: Malaysia
Photographs taken by Autumn Belle at The Secret Garden of 1-Utama
Grateful thanks to Dr. Francis Ng



The flowers are held in loose panicles, which are pendulous and cascading. Blooming season is from fall to spring, in the months of October to April for temperate zones but for us in Malaysia, I guess it will be whole year round.

I think it also looks like a bridal bouquet. How about you?



The flower petals are ovate, about 1-1.5cm and with a tube about 1 cm long. The stamens and style protude out. The shiny green leaves which are deeply veined, pointed and narrow are about 10-15 cm long.

Just like the Bleeding Heart Vine where red flowers come out of a white sepal heart, these white flowers emerge from red sepal hearts.

The fruiting sepal cup is red, inflated and thickened. Fruits are about 1-1.3 cm in diameter. They look like berries in the centre of red stars. The berries turn from green when young to shiny black when ripe making them a great display item for the Christmas season.

The branches and stems are quite brittle making it easy to snap.
Clerodendrum wallichii is an evergreen perennial shrub that can grow to about 8-10 ft tall.
Plant in partial shade.


My post today is dedicated to Mr Aaron Ang from the southern state of Johor, Malaysia, of Aaron's Gardening blog. Thank you for being the first commenter of my previous post on the Do-Re-Mi flower. This teenage gardener is a fan of carnivorous plants and video games. He makes anime models and papercraft during his free time.


This is my entry for Today's Flowers # 95, a meme which opens every Sunday, 2pm GMT. My grateful thanks to Today's Flowers team members; Luiz Santili Jr, Denise in Virginia, Laerte Pupo and Sandy Carlson. To participate and view other gorgeous flowers around the world, click here.


This is end of May 2010, time for The Hot, the Loud, and the Proud Meme started by Noel of A Plant Fanatic blog. Please follow my link here to participate or view other spectacular shows around the world. Eventhough my flower is white and not red, this striking bridal bouquet is fit for a bride who will be at her most radiant, hot, loud and proud moment on her wedding day.

25 comments:

  1. that is a superb flower, we grow two types of clerodendrum here in england but i have never heard of this one...lovely...

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  2. That is a lovely clerodendrum, and definitely would make a lovely bridal bouquet.

    FlowerLady

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  3. This is a very pretty clerodendron. Mine died when I had gone on my holiday.

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  4. Very pretty white blooms with dark green foliage. The bloom looks a little bit like gaura.

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  5. That's a lovely flower-and fragrant too, i will keep my eyes open in case I could get it.

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  6. These clerodendrum flowers are absolutely gorgeous! I've never seen these before, either. I keep seeing new flowers that I've never seen before--from all over the world.

    Thank you for the honor of having my blog on your side bar today!

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  7. Beautiful clerodendrum. My first time to see this kind of flowers. Thank you for sharing.

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  8. This is a new plant to me. Those loose cascades of flowers are just beautiful! -Jean

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  9. The flowers are so beautiful!

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  10. It is a new plant to me as well. It is so pretty Autumn. I agree it does remind me of a bridal veil.

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  11. i like its simplicity and also having that can be so fragrant and inviting

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  12. A lovely plant indeed. I always amazes me that one common name like Bridal Veil serves a dozen different genuses around the world. The only common thread is that they bloom white, are pendulous and usually have a perfume.

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  13. Beautiful flower. I think you are quite right it does look like a bridal bouquet.

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  14. Hello,
    Thank you for sharing, It's a very beautiful flowers.

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  15. Autumn Belle, this is a most spectacular looking flower. I grow the C.incisum and the red bleeding hearts but I haven't seen this variety around here. Just love those unusually long stamens. Adds so much character:) Beautiful post.

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  16. This is a very pretty flower

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  17. I love white, fragrant and pendulous flowers. This flower has all three! Gorgeous! Thanks for the beautiful pictures!

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  18. 8 to 10 feet tall, wow! they are so lovely and pristine. Perfect flower specimens

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  19. This is really pretty. I also love anything white, fragrant, and just plain old pretty like this. Great feature. I'd love to see this in person!

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  20. aloha atumn belle

    that clerodendrons are not loud, but they are certainly proud, and quite beautiful, thanks for sharing them today

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  21. I thought i've already commented here, i realized i've just read it from my feeds. I will review my photos, i thought i have some photos like this last year from the garden show. I was not posting it because i forgot to note the label and i don't know that plant.

    I am also amused with the comments here, you know what i'm saying.

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  22. Hi Autumn Belle - beautiful name for a bloomingly beautiful garden blog. Green and white are one of may fave colour combos and this 'Bridal Veil' is stunning. Nearest thing we have in the UK is Gaura - The Bride

    thanks for sharing this beauty

    Laura

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  23. Hi AB, Forgive me for missing so many posts on your wonderful blog.

    Clerodendrum is such a fabulous genus. I am so lucky to have two hardy species that I can grow.

    Beautiful species you've showcased. Kudos!

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