Japanese name: ヒギリ（緋桐） Scientific name:Clerodendrum japonicum
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub reaching 2 m tall.
Leaves are simple and opposite, ovate-orbicular, 15–30 cm long.
The leaf margin has small teeth, and both surfaces are densely covered with small scales.
The petioles are long.
Conical cymes 30–50 cm long at the stem tips bear many flowers.
The flowers are scarlet, 2–3 cm across.
The corolla is 5-lobed and the stamens project far out.
The inflorescence axis, flower stalks and calyx are also red, so the whole inflorescence looks red.
The fruit is a drupe.
[History]
Introduced to Japan long ago, it is described in the Kadan Chikinsho (1695).
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or root cuttings.
It prefers a sunny site.
It drops its leaves in cold temperatures, so it is best kept at 10 degrees or above.
