Common Name: Starburst or Shooting Star Clerodendrum

Scientific Name: Clerodendrum quadriloculare

Type of Plant: Shrub/Small Tree

Description:  The dark and sultry Starburst Clerodendrum explodes into bright beauty each spring with an incredible display of gorgeous flowers. Leaves of dusty gray-green are backed with deep purple. This gives the shrub a deep-toned hue that contrasts with all the green in a landscape.  And then, with the advent of spring, the plant produces huge flower clusters like showers of fireworks that turn it from handsome backdrop scenery into the star of the show.

Mature Size: 10-15′ tall x 6-8′ wide

Blooms: Late Winter to Early Spring

Fruit:  No

Climate Requirements:  Starburst Clerodendrum is a fast grower for sun to partial shade. It does well in a dappled sun area and will flower more heavily on the side of the plant that gets the most light.

Care Requirements: Add top soil or organic peat moss and composted cow manure to the hole when you plant.  To grow more tree-like, snip off shoots around the base of the plant and keep the main trunk cleaned off. Remove root runners as soon as you see them, unless you want a forest of clerodendrum.

A pruning or two a year should help keep clerodendrum bushy and full. The plant can look shabby after a cold winter but will flush out again in spring. Do a hard pruning after the spring bloom, if you like, to keep the size in check and encourage full lush growth. You can cut it back again in fall (before October) as well if it needs it.

Water on a regular basis.

Fertilize 3 times a year – in spring, summer, and autumn – with a good granular fertilizer. You can supplement feedings with bone meal to promote heavier spring bloom.

Spacing: Space plants at least 48″ apart

Water Needs: Average

Maintenance: Low

Attracts: Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds

Special Uses/Attributes:

  • accent in a mixed bed
  • backdrop for smaller plants
  • single yard specimen
  • privacy screen
  • large shrub for the corner of the house
  • architectural accent for a taller home

Florida Native: No