CLERODENDRUM QUADRILOCULARE

One of my favourite Clerodendrum treelet with pink Ixora-like flowers, they are seldom free-flowering here locally until the onset of the recent dry spell and heatwave across the island. The recent burst of pink flowers make it deserving of its common names Shooting Star and Starburst Bush!

HORTPARK 2

Today's weather - sunny

It is always such a a joy to visit HortPark and sometimes they bring back so many fond memories.


I love this native climber Tetracera indica that I planted at the Irrigation Pond area to conceal the manhole behind it.


The Clerodendrum quadriloculare across the Hands-on-House decided to show its beautiful pink tubular flowers that earn it the deserving common name Starburst Bush.


Over at the Prototype Glasshouse, the attention seeking Impatiens walleriana cultivars and the Tibouchina cultivar were wooing me with its amazingly beautiful flowers.


Then at the Golden Garden, I saw for the first time the unknown red flower Bulbophyllum in bloom. Since planting it, I have never seen it flower and I was definitely secretly excited by the excellent growth exhibited by the orchid on the Rain Tree fork. I hope they don't prune it away someday.


Just beside the Fruited Vegetables Garden, a clump of Strongylodon macrobotrys (common name: Jade Vine, Emerald Vine) flowers were hidden amongst the dense leaves covering the shelter.


Further up at the Floral Stitches, a sun lizard was so well camouflaged against the trunk of the tree that I almost missed it.


The unknown Terminalia was also fruiting for the umpteen time. As someone pointed out, the winged fruits reminded her of the plastic balls commonly used in washing machines to prevent the clothes from tangling together. Instead of having two glands on the underside of its leaves, typical of Terminalia trees, there is only one small gland on this one.


At the former Arbor Garden was a small bed of Lobelia chinensis, which I grew in waterlogged areas in the Car Park Garden in the past and which I have not seen in recent times.

CLERODENDRUM QUADRILOCULARE

This Clerodendrum quadriloculare at the Fantasy Garden is growing so well that younger plants are sprouting beside the parent plant that I planted.

Like I said before, when it goes into mass flowering, I am sure the starburst effect is going to be very spectacular.