Musical Notes In The Garden

I think I've struck a right chord with this shrub
called Musical Notes. I bought it as a small plant
last December thinking it to be a variety of Cleome.
The person at the nursery couldn't tell me what it
was. There were a few blooms and the sight of the
long stamens was enough for me to decide it had to
come with me!



It was only recently that I found out, after googling
like one possessed, that it is actually a plant which
comes from the same family as the Bleeding Heart Vine.
It's Clerodendrum incisum a.k.a Musical Notes, Morning
Kiss, and Witches'Tongue.

The buds look like musical notes, hence the name. Here,
the buds are just starting to open up.





In full bloom. The blooms,in this case, lasted only for
a day. It made me wonder whether the wind and rain that
very night hastened their fall!!



Clerodendrum is a genus consisting of 400 tropical and sub-
tropical trees,shrubs and vines, and herbaceous plants
primarily from south-east Asia and Africa. Their general
characteristics include showy flowers and a lack of
tolerance to cold. The origin is Africa and it belongs to
the family Verbenaceae. Clerodendrum incisum can be pro-
pagated from cuttings and suckers.



I wonder how I didn't see the similarity. I also have
two other members of the same family blooming right now!!



Like white strands of thread, the short-lived blooms lie
scattered on the ground. The shrub is growing in full sun
although I've read that it does well in partial shade too.
It's growing pretty fast and for support I've planted it
next to the Cordyline.



But as the last blooms fall, the new buds appear and the
cycle continues. It's showtime again, folks!