PL
The Garden
Harlequin Glorybower
The Peanut Tree
BY DOLORES MULLER
I
think that Harlequin Glorybower or peanut butter tree, Clerodendrum trichotomum, is a curious name for a plant. The name comes from the Greek words kleros, which means chance or destiny, and dendron, meaning tree. Though the name is odd, the bush or small tree is spectacular. What gardener wouldn’t want a plant with fragrant showy clusters of sweet-scented, white flowers in late summer? In the fall, the jasmine-like blooms yield iridescent blue/green berries and have what looks like hot pink flower petals at the base. These petals are actually the calyx. Unlike most other plants, the calyx stays around and adds interest to the ripe fruit. Everyone that sees this plant in the fall is impressed and wants to know what it is. The flowers, rich with nectar, attract bees, moths, hummingbirds and butterflies, and the berries attract many birds, so it is a useful wildlife food plant to have in your garden. Harlequin Glorybower is a deciduous, open, multistemmed shrub or small tree native to China and Japan. Its nonformal growth habit can reach a height of up to 10 feet and have an equal spread. But why is it called peanut butter tree? If you crush the leaves between your fingers, the scent is that of peanut butter. Growing a Harlequin Glorybower isn’t difficult. It grows well in hardiness zones 7 through 11, however, some information indicates that the plant may be hardy to zone 6b. We are in zone 7b so it is perfectly suited to our region. You can prune harlequin Glorybower to a single trunk and train it to grow as a small tree, or allow it to grow more naturally as a shrub. It also grows well in a large container. Harlequin Glorybower tolerates partial shade, but full sun brings out the most attractive, denser foliage and bigger flowers and berries. It adapts to well-drained soil and is relatively drought-tolerant once established. The literature on this plant suggests it can be aggressive and suckers generously, especially in cooler climates. I have had mine for about 10 years and have not found that to be the case. If it does, suckers can be removed in spring or fall and shared with a gardening friend. That is how I first got my plant. Lucky me, a master gardener friend had several and shared two with me. PL
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