Bleeding Heart

It's known as the Bleeding Heart Vine. A rather romantic name for this lovely flower.

There is a story that goes with this flower; it's one of many, but it's a nice one.

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess. Young men from far and near came to try to win her heart. But the princess was very vain and would have nothing to do with any of them. A young prince from a neighbouring country fell deeply in love with hear. She ignored him like the others, though he tried and tried to win her over. One day the prince found a pair of pretty pink rabbits at the market. (Two outside petals) He sent them to the princess thinking, "these will surely melt her heart." But the princess went right on ignoring him. Then the prince sent her a pair of beautiful Oriental slippers. (Two long petals from front and back of flower) Still the princess would have nothing to do with him. The young prince was so heartbroken that he took his dagger and drove it into his heart. (Break off the stamen and pierce the remains of the flower with it) As soon as the prince was dead, the princess realized that she had really loved him. "As long as I live, my heart shall bleed for my prince," she wept.

Clerodendrum thomsoniae is an attractive bushy, tropical looking twining vine. Glossy dark green leaves are from 5 to 7 inches long (18 cm). Spectacular, dramatic flowers are slightly flat, they have white sepals on either side of bright crimson petals. The appearance may be liken to a line of dangling hearts, each emerging from the other. This plant is often seen in pots where it will abide in a continual state of flowering. Often, fruits develop. Green at first, they blacken as they ripen. Then, they split open from the top to the bottom to present a bright orange fleshy lining that contains four black seeds. Blooms mostly from April to October-November in natural conditions of tropical climate. The plant drops some leaves (not all of them) in winter, and has some flowers (not much) even during the winter time. As long as you provide lots of light to it, it'll bloom most of the time.