Clerodendrum tomentosum
Encyclopedia
Clerodendrum tomentosum, known as the Downy Chance, Hairy Lolly Bush, or Hairy Clerodendrum is a shrub or small tree occurring in eastern and northern Australia
. Distributed from Batemans Bay (35° S) in southern coastal New South Wales
to Cape York Peninsula
at the northern most point of the continent. Then west through the Northern Territory
and Western Australia
.
The habitat is the margins of warmer rainforests of various types. It can survive in certain areas of under 1000 mm average annual rainfall.
was coined by the father of modern taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus. Tomentosum refers to downy or hairy leaves. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that the genus Clerodendrum
belongs in the mint
family. Consequently this species is now removed from the Verbena
family and placed in Lamiaceae
.
The trunk is mostly cylindrical or sometimes flanged at the base. Bark is grey or fawn, somewhat scaly or corky on larger plants. Young branchlets have lenticel
s, and are downy and soft. Angled or square in cross section, brownish grey and sometimes purple at the tips.
s forming terminal corymbs. Four long stamens protrude from the fragrant flower.
The fruit is a black shiny or navy blue
drupe
with four lobes. Surrounded by a fleshy red calyx
. The red and black of the fruiting body attracts birds, such as the Satin Bowerbird
. Drupe size is 5 to 8 mm, the width of the red calyx is up to 20 mm. Flowers pollinated by nocturnal moths. The fruit is not edible for humans.
Slow to regenerate from seed, though it can strike from cuttings.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Distributed from Batemans Bay (35° S) in southern coastal New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
at the northern most point of the continent. Then west through the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
The habitat is the margins of warmer rainforests of various types. It can survive in certain areas of under 1000 mm average annual rainfall.
Name & Taxonomy
The curious common name of Downy Chance refers to both the generic and species name. Clerodendrum is from the Greek. Meaning "lottery tree". Dendros meaning tree. The lottery refers to unsure possibility of medicinal value from plants of this genus. The generic name ClerodendrumClerodendrum
Clerodendrum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Its common names include glorybower, bagflower and bleeding-heart...
was coined by the father of modern taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus. Tomentosum refers to downy or hairy leaves. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that the genus Clerodendrum
Clerodendrum
Clerodendrum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Its common names include glorybower, bagflower and bleeding-heart...
belongs in the mint
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
family. Consequently this species is now removed from the Verbena
Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae, commonly known as the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell.Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that...
family and placed in Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
.
Description
Up to 15 metres tall with a trunk diameter of 25 cm, though usually much smaller. An opened branched plant with large veiny leaves.The trunk is mostly cylindrical or sometimes flanged at the base. Bark is grey or fawn, somewhat scaly or corky on larger plants. Young branchlets have lenticel
Lenticel
A lenticel is an airy aggregation of cells within the structural surfaces of the stems, roots, and other parts of vascular plants. It functions as a pore, providing a medium for the direct exchange of gasses between the internal tissues and atmosphere, thereby bypassing the periderm, which would...
s, and are downy and soft. Angled or square in cross section, brownish grey and sometimes purple at the tips.
Leaves
Opposite on the stem, without serrations, 4 to 14 cm long, 2 to 4.5 cm wide. With a short tip, leaf form gradually tapering away at the base of the leaf. Upper leaf surface sometimes hairy. Hairy under the leaf, soft and downy to touch. Pale green below the leaf, darker above. Leaf veins prominent on the underside, visible on the top surface. 5 or 6 main lateral veins, curving near the leaf edge.Flowers and fruit
White flowers form in dense heads between the months of October to January. In the form of cymeInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s forming terminal corymbs. Four long stamens protrude from the fragrant flower.
The fruit is a black shiny or navy blue
Navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
with four lobes. Surrounded by a fleshy red calyx
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
. The red and black of the fruiting body attracts birds, such as the Satin Bowerbird
Satin Bowerbird
The Satin Bowerbird, Ptilonorhynchus violaceus is a bowerbird endemic to eastern Australia.A rare natural intergeneric hybrid between the Satin Bowerbird and the Regent Bowerbird is known as Rawnsley's Bowerbird.-Distribution:...
. Drupe size is 5 to 8 mm, the width of the red calyx is up to 20 mm. Flowers pollinated by nocturnal moths. The fruit is not edible for humans.
Slow to regenerate from seed, though it can strike from cuttings.