Question

In Clerodendron ……………..flower opens first?
A. Peripheral
B. Younger
C. Terminal
D. Lower

Answer 1

Hint: Clerodendrum/Clerodendrum belongs to the Verbenaceae family and is also known as badflower, glorybower and bleeding heart plant. They include more than 150 species of perennial shrubs showing cymose inflorescence.

Complete answer:
The plants of Clerodendrum species are erect, 1 to 3 m tall, and are shrubs with less branches. Their roots are around 2.5 metres long and light brown in colour. Stem is herbaceous, hollow, fluted and ridged. Leaves are terminal, axillary and fascicled and they hang from upright branches.
Flowers are terminal or axillary having 7.5 cm long calyx which has a cleft hallway down and the lobes are ovate/oblong and acute. Corolla is also about 10 cm long, slender, curved and having lobes that are ovate/oblong and around 1.5 cm long. Fruits are darkish blue green. Fruiting and flowering takes place in the months of January to May. They can be propagated by stem and root cuttings. Inflorescence observed is cymose in which the new born flowers are present on the base and the older flowers are present on the top. This arrangement of flowers is known as basipetal succession and the flowers that are present on the periphery are the first ones to open.
Thus, the right option is C.

Additional information:
- These flowers find application in natural health remedies and siddha medicine which have originated in Tamil Nadu.
- Major chemical compounds found in them include sugars, sterols, saponins and flavonoids.
- Some novel compounds which are crystalline in nature like clerodone, clerodolone and clerodole are isolated from its roots.
- Caffeic acid esters, fumaric acid, β-sitosterols and β-sitosterols glucosides are found in the flowers.
- Seven different sugars namely – lactose, raffinose, maltose, fructose, sucrose, galactose and glucose are also found.

Note: Different parts of the plant are used to cure different diseases like the leaves are given to cure headache, diarrhea and liver diseases, roots and leaves are used in anti dandruff, ascaricide, laxative, antipyretic and antidiabetic drugs.