Bleeding Heart Vine
Clerodendrum Thomsoniae
Clerodendrum bleeding heart is a well-behaved, non-aggressive plant that can reach around three feet in containers, but can climb to 15 feet at maturity. It usually blooms during the warm months and provides showy white flowers with dark red corollas giving a striking contrast. It is a sub-tropical vine that wraps its tendrils around a trellis or other support. The vines also respond well to hanging baskets, where they drape attractively over the sides. The foliage is smooth-edged, oval and 6 inches long. It is a common houseplant in cooler locations.
The flowers of bleeding heart vine are arresting, with crimson petals emerging from a white base. The common name Bag flower alludes to the shape of the white petals, which hold a red surprise inside as the inner red petals emerge. The vines are a rich source of nectar, and they will attract butterflies outdoors.
Clerodendrum Thomsoniae is a species of flowering plant in the genus Clerodendrum of the family Lamiaceae, native to tropical West Africa from Cameroon west to Senegal. It is an evergreen liana. 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 in diameter, and a red five-lobed corolla 2 cm long and in diameter. The flowers are born in cymose inflorescences arising from the axils of the leaves. The leaves, in turn, are arranged opposite to each other and at right angles to the pairs above and below.
