A genus of tropical flowering plants with showy clusters of red, pink, white, or blue flowers, commonly grown as ornamentals.
From Greek 'cleros' meaning 'fate' or 'lot' plus 'dendron' meaning 'tree'—the name refers to how the fruit varies unpredictably in shape or size, as if determined by chance.
The name 'clerodendron' means literally 'tree of fate,' reflecting how ancient botanists were fascinated by its wildly unpredictable fruit variation—a poetic reminder that naming plants often reveals what puzzled or delighted our ancestors.
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