Description
C. inerme is an evergreen mangrove plant, which has found a place in our gardens, is able to thrive near the ocean at the high tide mark, making it a potential weed in the coastal environment.
This erect, sprawling or climbing shrub grows to heights of up to 6 metre. The stems are woody, and smooth. The opposite, simple leaves are ovate or elliptic, usually 3-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, the apex obtuse to shortly acuminate, the base more or less rounded.
The margins are entire, and the petiole is from 5 mm to 2 cm long. The leaves are green, smooth, with a slightly shiny upper surface.
Plant Specifications
| Plant Height | 14 inch (35.5 cm) |
| Plant Spread | 5 inch (13 cm) |
| Common Name | Abelia |
| Maximum Reachable Height | Up to 5 feet |
| Flower Colour | Lavender pink |
| Bloom Time | May to September |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
Planting and care
For making hedges, a large number of well-developed plants are required and, therefore, it is advisable to produce new plants through cuttings.
Trimming the plant keeps the hedges in shape and also promotes production of new branches and leaves to fill up the gaps.
As flowers are produced at the ends of branches, trimming robs the plant of its floweÃÃ†à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ÃƒÆ’Æ’Ã ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ ¢ ¢ÃƒÆ’ƒÆ’Ã†à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ ¢ÃƒÆ’ƒÆ’ ¢ÃƒÆ’Æ’ ¢ÃƒÆ’ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ ¬ÃƒÆ’†¦ ¡ ¬ÃƒÆ’ƒÆ’à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ ¬ ¦ ¡ ¹
| Sunlight | Sun or part shade. |
| Watering | Water regularly,weekly or more often in extreme heat. |
| Soil | Slightly acid, the moist peaty soil is ideal. |
| Temperature | 20 to 35 degrees C |
| Fertilizer | Apply any organic fertilizer. |
| Harvest Season | May to September |
Clerodendrum Inerme care
Special features: Clerodendrum inerme Leaf is used for medicinal purpose.
Ornamental use: Clerodendrum inerme is used in many places in landscaping, as a ground cover or a hedge plant, especially near the sea, as it tolerates the salt spray.
Medicinal use: A wreath of the flowers may also be given to a person suffering from depression. The flowers are used to perfume coconut oil.
Parts of the plant are used in medicinal preparations; for example, Wulej is an ingredient in a baby bath preparation which is reckoned to prevent body odour in the baby in later life.