Butterfly bush, Blue cat's whiskers
Rotheca myricoides

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

An evergreen shrub or small tree. It grows 3-7 m tall. The bark is grey. It has marks along it. The bark on the older branches is rough and cracked. It has irregular branches. The leaves are opposite or in rings of 3-4 and oval. They are wedge shaped at the base and tapers to the tip. They are 2.5-9.5 cm long by 1-5.5 cm wide. They are softly textured. There are fine dense hairs on both surfaces. The underneath surface is paler. The edges have coarse teeth. The base of the leaf tapers running into the leaf stalk. The leaf stalk can be 1.5 cm long. The flowers are 2 cm across. They occur in heads of a few flowers in the axils of leaves and at the ends of branches. The fruit have 2-4 lobes. They are 5-10 mm across and reddish but turn black when mature. The fruit are edible.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It can grow in areas with a marked dry season up to 6-11 months. It can grow in stony and sandy soils. It grows between 30-1,800 m above sea level. It occurs in rocky places along streams. It is also in open woodland and near termite mounds. It can grow in arid places. In Melbourne Botanical gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Australia, Botswana, Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, Djibouti, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Hawaii, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Pacific, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fruit is eaten as a snack.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed, cuttings or layering.

Its other names

Local names

Abeqa, Bandamuchenene, Buputi, Cat's whiskers, Luphehlacwatsi, Mapolwa, Mnindi, Mudzimamuriro, Municarba, Muparamhozva, Mussumbe, Mutilingwa, Mutume, Namununca, Nhanadzi, Nyamhepo, Rough-leaf cats-whiskers, Smelly cats-whiskers, Zanzi

Synonyms

Clerodendrum myricoides (Hochst.) R. Br. ex Vatke; Clerodendrum dekindtii Gurke; Clerodendrum discolor (Klotzsch) Vatke var. oppositifolium Thomas; Clerodendrum myricoides (Hochst.) Vatke subsp. namibiense R. Fern; Clerodendrum schlechteri Gurke; Cyclonema myricoides (Hochst.) Hiern; Spironema myricoides Hochst.; Siphonanthus myricoides (Hochst.) Hiern.; Clerodendrum amplifolium S. Moore; Clerodendrum reflexum H.H.W.Pearson; Clerodendrum teaguei Hutch.; Clerodendrum ugandense Prain;