Dwarf Cat's whiskers
Clerodendrum ternatum

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

A shrub with underground stems or rhizomes and a woody rootstock. It forms colonies with many stems. The stems are woody at the base. They grow 60 cm high. The leaves are in 3 rings or opposite and without leaf stalks. The leaves have an unpleasant smell when crushed. The leaf blade is 2-10 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. It is narrowly sword shaped. The flowers are in groups of 3. They are in the axils of the upper leaves. The fruit are black and about 8 mm across. They have 4 deep lobes.

Where it is found

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. In Zimbabwe it grows between 550-1,480 m above sea level. It grows in dry deciduous woodland and on Kalahari sand.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Civumbe, Pitirira, Umalanjana, Umphehlacwatsi, Umqotshanja

Synonyms

Clerodendrum lanceolatum Gurke; Clerodendrum simile H. Pearson; Clerodendrum ternatum var. vinosum B. Thomas; Clerodendrum transvaalense B. Thomas; Clerodendrum wilmsii Gurke;