Pagoda Flower Clerodendrum

Looking for a big flashy butterfly magnet? Try Pagoda Flower (Clerodendrum paniculatum), a native of India and Southeast Asia. This large member of the Verbena family has large leaves and showy orange flowers that are a magnet for butterflies.

This multi-stemmed tender perennial can grow up to 5 feet in height and width, making it great for larger gardens. The orange flower heads grow in a pyramid-shaped cluster, showing off long slender stamens that seem to hover in the air alongside visiting butterflies.

 Grow Pagoda Flower in zones 8 – 11. It will be killed to the ground in a hard freeze but should return and grow quickly to several feet tall by the time summer returns. Give it plenty of water to avoid drooping leaves in the noonday sun. Pagoda Flower does not grow well from seed; instead, take root cuttings or remove and plant the small suckers that appear near the base of the plant.

What's in a Name? The genus name Clerodendrum means “chance" and refers to the varied reports indicating the possible medicinal nature of the plant, which were apparently hard to verify even in Linnaeus’ day. The pyramid-shaped flower heads, known as panicles, give the plant its species name.