Count Your Blessings!

With love and passion, everyone can have a nice garden...Elaine Yim

Count Your Blessings!
Count The Garden By The Flowers, Never By The Leaves That Fall.
Count Your Life With Smiles And Not The Tears That Roll.
..... Author unknown.

Knowing me, Knowing you..... Aha.....!

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

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Clerodendrum thomsoniae Bleeding Heart Vine







Scientific name: Clerodendrum thomsoniae
Common name: Bleeding Heart Vine, Glory Bower, White Bleeding Heart Vine
Chinese name: 龙吐珠 ('long tu zhu' or dragon spitting pearl)
Malay name: Nyonya Makan Sirih (Maiden/Fair Lady chewing betel leaves)
Family: Verbenaceae
Native plant of: West Africa

Photographs taken by Autumn Belle at The Secret Garden of 1-Utama
Grateful thanks to Dr. Francis Ng of The Secret Garden of 1-Utama.


Have you heard the folklore about the bleeding heart?



To participate or view other Wordless Wednesday posts, please click here.

My post today is dedicated to Mr Michael from Dorset, England of Hazel Tree blog. Thank you for being the first commenter of my previous post on the Clerodendrum wallichii Bridal Veil Flower. I like the way this full time gardener writes his very interesting blog. He is posting gorgeous blooms or purple today.

Update: This is Bleeding Heart Vine = Clerodendrum thomsoniae. Please do not confuse it with Bleeding Heart = Lamprocapnos spectabilis as they are not the same.

14 comments:

  1. I almost bought a Bleeding Heart Vine once, and didn't. I have not forgiven myself for passing up such a beauty.

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  2. Such an elegant flower. The color contrast of white and red is very eye catchy. There's a folkflore about this flower? I'm interested in hearing about it...ok...maybe will google it later on the more I'm thinking about it now.

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  3. It is so pure, pristine and rich looking. It's just gorgeous in these shots and thanks for the information.

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  4. Thanks Autumn Belle, I have just added Hazel Tree to my Faves!

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  5. Good Morning, Nell Jean, Rose Belle, Joanne, Diana.

    I think I have confused this bleeding heart vine with the old fashioned bleeding heart i.e. Lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly Dicentra spectabilis) which is native to eastern Asia. This is the one that is linked to the folklore about a prince and princess. I can't publish the folklore tale here because it may be subjected to copyright but if you google 'Bleeding Heart Vine folklore' you'll be able to read the stories (there are 2).

    I too agree Hazel Tree has a very interesting blog.

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  6. I love these so! Only I couldn't find a source to get them here...

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  7. Hello Autumn Belle, wow, I just love your beautiful photos and blog background. I think this is one of the most stunning of cleos. Glad you are featuring cleos.

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  8. Beautiful photos. I'd love to hear the folk tale about it.

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  9. Chandramouli, I hope you will be able to find these beautiful plants soon.

    Helen, thank you very much for your compliments.

    Lotusleaf and Aaron, here's the story related to Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis):

    The story teller will hold the bleeding heart flower and break off the petals one by one as the story is being told.

    Once upon a time there was a very beautiful princess. A young prince was very much in love with her and he tried his very best to win her heart. However she ignored him. After many failed attempts, the prince was very sad and so broken hearted that he committed suicide. Finally, the princess realized that she had actually loved the prince. She wept and vowed that for as long as she lived, her heart shall bleed for her prince.

    For further info, the link on the Bleeding Heart Story is as follows:

    http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/learn/forum/message8340

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  10. This is one bleeding heart I would like to have. So beautiful!

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  11. Oh, how gorgeous. I would so have a vine like that is it would grow here. It is just so pretty.

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  12. AB, what a truly beautiful garden! So lush! Any your photos really bring it to life!!

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  13. Kathy, Aaron, Lona, Kimberly. TQVM for the visit. I have something more to add:

    The flowers occur in a curve, pretty row and from a distance it does look like a white (the bracts)dragon coiled among the greens. I can also imagine that its red lips (flowers) are splitting pearls (the stamens)

    On the local name of Maiden Chewing Betel Leaves. Long ago in Malaysia, maidens do chew betel leaves. Some tobacco, lime and areca nuts are wrapped in betel leaves. Afterwards they will split out some red tinted saliva.

    Eventhough local names and common names may be quite confusing especially when they are duplicated or sound so similar, it also gives us an insight into the lifestyle and customs of the local people at the places where these species originated. That I think is the beauty of learning about Native Plants, my favourite topic.

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  14. I love the bleeding hearts! My vine has flowered too. :)

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Words are like the voice of the heart... Confucius

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