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Clerodendrum trichotomum

Common name:	Chou Wu Tong	Family:	Verbenaceae
Author:	Thunb.	Botanical references:	11, 58, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat:	Thickets on mountain slopes, throughout most of China except Nei Mongol, below elevations of 2400 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Clerodendron trichotomum[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Harlequin Glory-bower [B], Harlequin Glorybower [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	trichotomum = branching into 3
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Verbena family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 6m by 3m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from August to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Young sprouts and leaves - cooked[105, 177].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Antipruritic Antirheumatic Hypotensive Parasiticide Sedative.

The leaves are mildly analgesic, antipruritic, hypotensive and sedative[176, 218, 254]. They are used externally in the treatment of dermatitis and internally for the treatment of hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, numbness and paralysis[176, 218, 254]. When used in a clinical trial of 171 people, the blood pressure of 81% of the people dropped significantly - this effect was reversed when the treatment was stopped[254]. The plant is normally used in conjunction with Bidens bipinnata[218].
When used with the herb Siegesbeckia pubescens it is anti-inflammatory[254].
The roots and leaves are antirheumatic and hypotensive[147]. A decoction is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension[147].
The pounded seed is used to kill lice[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in a sunny position in ordinary garden soil but prefers a fertile humus-rich well-drained loam[164, 200]. The soil must not be allowed to dry out in the growing season[1]. Requires a position sheltered from cold drying winds[1, 200].
Plants are generally hardy to about -15° c[184, 200], they succeed outdoors at Kew though the branches are pithy and are apt to die back in winter[11]. The sub-species C. trichotomum fargesii. (Dode.)Rehder. is somewhat hardier, tolerating temperatures down to about -20° c[184].
Plants produce the occasional sucker[182].
The leaves have a heavy unpleasant odour when crushed[11, 182].
Flowers are produced on the current seasons growth and are sweetly scented[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as possible in a greenhouse. Germination can be erratic but usually takes place within 20 - 60 days at 20° c[164]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts.
Root cuttings, 6 - 8cm long, December in a greenhouse. High percentage[78].
Division of suckers in the dormant season. Very easy, they can be planted out direct into their permanent positions if required.

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The leaves have a heavy unpleasant odour when crushed.
Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are sweetly scented.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Clerodendron trichotomum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Verbenaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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