Clerodendrum trichotomum ‘golden glory’ - golden glory bower

Discussion in 'Botany Photo of the Day Submissions' started by pmurphy, Aug 30, 2019.

  1. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    A zone 7a (or 6a depending upon the source) shrub that will grow up to 12 ft and is not commonly seen in the Vancouver area. In spring the leaves emerge golden in color and then fade to green by mid-season.
    This particular specimen was special ordered from Cistus Nursery in Oregon back in 2013 and then shipped here through Phoenix Perennials.

    IMG_1603.JPG
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    The hairy typical species was hit badly by the 1990 winter in the Seattle area, the sometimes-claimed-to-be-hardier var. fargesii - with smooth stems and leaves - dominates local offerings at this time. Unfortunately the version being seen lacks the maroon calyces and strong, wafting floral fragrance of the type.
     
  3. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    FYI, now that the bush is in full bloom the scent of the flowers can be detected from at least 10 to 12 ft away (depending upon the wind direction)
     
  4. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I don't think I've seen that one here in Vancouver. I see several of the typical species around, I was going to add maybe because I'm in the West End, but here is one I noticed at 30th and Windsor last week, in the Kensington - Cedar Cottage neighbourhood, one of the somewhat cooler areas.
    Clerodendrum-trichotomum_4596Windsor30th_Cutler_20190818_152749.jpg Clerodendrum-trichotomum_4596Windsor30th_Cutler_20190818_152804.jpg
     
  5. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I wonder if I'm mis-understanding, or if the photos coming up on google are not at all the C. var fargesii. The page I'm seeing all have maroon calyces. I understood you to say that the ones being seen are fargesii and lack maroon calyces.
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    At the moment the local - as in down here - production and supply system only seems to be presenting material designated as var. fargesii. And it's always a particular form with an apparently weaker fragrance and noticeably less colorful calyces. Than the hairy, typical (as in parent or typical species) version that older plantings tend to consist of.

    Otherwise I don't know how much variation there is within the var. (Or the entire species for that matter). The main point seems to be that fargesii is not hairy, the 2014 Hillier also says it tends to produce more fruits. (Looking at eFloras Flora of China might be instructive, with British horticulturally oriented accounts it needs to be kept in mind that depictions of woody botanical entities may be based on single clones or other small pools of material, that are not fully representative).

    The fuzzy kind used to live next door here, I have also grown it myself (after I weeded around it one time a dense thicket of suckers came up and I got rid of it). For a long time the neighbor's tree was probably the largest, most arborescent example I have seen. Then the 1990 winter came, decimated the upper part of the top. This may have increased the amount of suckering, at any rate after the property changed hands the remains of the original tree disappeared - the couple that has now lived there many years are not gardeners at all.

    In its prime this example would intermittently perfume the air around it during certain summer days for a distance of maybe 100 ft. or more.
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2019
  7. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    These are what you mean by hairy? First photo is from 2011; second from 2014. Different locations. These would both be the species?
    20111029_Semlin11th_ClerodendrumTrichotomum_Cutler_P1160870.JPG ClerodendrumTrichotomum-x2_20140827_EdgeStanleyParkAtNelson_Cutler_P1100604.JPG
     
  8. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Yes, fargesii produces easily seen smooth-looking stems and leaf undersides.
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2019
  9. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Probably I've read it before but at any rate it turns out the Flora does actually place var. fargesii within var. trichotomum (as a synonym), describes the typical variety as having a range of hairiness. And if you go back a step*, to the description of the species in general it states there that the calyces start out greenish and then become pink ("purple") during fruiting - as though it is believed that all forms of the species do this, with none of them having some pinkness from the flowering stage on.

    Clerodendrum trichotomum var. trichotomum in Flora of China @ efloras.org

    *Click on the hyperlinked Clerodendrum above the description of var. trichotomum linked to here (immediately above), follow the key down to item 30, then click on the hyperlinked Clerodendrum trichotomum there
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2019
  10. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Well, I think I'm there: Clerodendrum trichotomum in Flora of China @ efloras.org
    Did I want to know there was C. var. ferrugineum? Grows in two counties in Alabama: Clerodendrum trichotomum var. ferrugineum - Species Page - APA: Alabama Plant Atlas. That's totally confusing - Clerodendrum trichotomum var. ferrugineum in Flora of China @ efloras.org says possibly like Clerodendrum brachystemon, for which a google search returns a lot of photos, none of which are actually that.

    I understand you to say that we can go back to just calling all of these Clerodendrum trichotomum, and as a species, it has a lot of variation.
     
  11. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    If you follow the Flora of China treatment - note for instance that - as can be seen at the top of this thread - there are in fact forms that have pink calyces at time of flowering.
     
  12. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I thought they all did, unless you don't consider the calyces in the third photo pink. These are from 2012, two from Stanley Park, one a private tree in the West End, last two from a fairly young street tree in Marpole.
    20120817_StanleyParkPavilion_ClerodendrumTrichotomum_Cutler_P1300523.JPG 20120826_StanleyParkPavilion_CLerodendrumTrichotomum_Cutler_P1300937c2.JPG 20120802_HaroCardero_ClerodendrumTrichotomum_Cutler_P1280958.JPG
    ClerodendrumTrichotomum_20120811_59thSelkirk_Cutler_P1290896.JPG ClerodendrumTrichotomum_20120811_59thSelkirk_Cutler_P1290902.JPG
     
  13. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    As I related previously the fargesii being seen on the market here in later years is markedly less colorful at flowering time, in fact basically the "greenish" attributed to the entire species by the Flora.
     

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