Bleeding Glory-bower

Description:

Clerodendrum thomsoniae is a species of Clerodendrum native to tropical west Africa from Cameroon west to Senegal. It is an evergreen liana growing to 4 m tall, with ovate to oblong leaves 8-17 cm long. The flowers are produced in cymes of 8-20 together, each flower with a pure white to pale purple five-lobed calyx 2.5 cm diameter, and a red five-lobed corolla 2 cm long and diameter. It is grown as an ornamental plant for its decorative two-coloured flowers. An unambiguous common name is Bleeding Glory-bower; terms like "glory-bower", "bagflower" or "bleeding-heart vine" are also often encountered but technically can refer to any of the roughly 400 species of Clerodendrum. In some regions it has escaped from cultivation and become naturalised. Bleeding heart. The plant was named in honour of Rev. William Cooper Thomson (fl. 1820 – 1880s), a missionary and physician in Nigeria.[1] This plant was very popular during the mid 19th century under the name "beauty bush". It lost favour only when its unusual culture conditions were forgotten. Specifically, its root system must be partially submerged in water most of the time, and it wants very good light.