It is Clerodendrum. C. thomsoniae - glory bower or bleeding heart vine.

I wouldn't cut it back but that is up to you. It is a thirsty plant - never let it dry out as you will have leaf drop and stem die-back and possibly death. I see mine has finally sent one vine up recently as I thought I lost both of mine.

They are quite stunning in bloom.

Here are a few more I own at present. C. speciosissimum (what a mouthful) aka Java Glory Bower.

C. trichotomum is the Harlequin Glory Bower or Peanut Butter bush ( the bruised leaves have a scent of peanut butter). The blooms are spicy yet lightly scented like native azaleas and attract butterflies. Perfectly hardy and somewhat weedy in Georgia. Gets about 12 feet tall or taller.

C. paniculatum aka Pagoda flower. It has looked better in the past.

C. bungei (Rose Glory Bower, Mexican hydrangea, Cashmere Bouquet) DO NOT PLANT THIS IN THE GROUND as it spreads rapidly. I am keeping mine in a pot and on a stone to keep it away from the ground and take it indoors for winter but I know it is hardy IN THE GROUND.

There are many more beautiful Clerodendrum species that I would like to add to my collection one of these years.

Hi HC,

They certainly are stunning in bloom. I'd seen it in bloom at the friend who shared it yrs. ago. I didn't know there were more than a couple of varieties, thx for the gorgeous pix. This last pic above is really something, especially reminiscent of a cluster of Hoya blooms. Sigh.

I hadn't realized it gets as thirsty as it does, tho' I do keep it seated in a terrariumish glass bowl. Allows me to water to overflow.

It's getting too tall for its spot & I don't have a trellis for it. I'd prefer to cut it back, root the cutting & add it back to Mother plant & then train them both around some kind of improvised trellis.

Could you perhaps pls advise me on rooting a stem cutting? Thanks.

KarenS, NYC

The plant in question is really a vine a or shrubby climber so it naturally wants to grow tall.

KarenS - you could let it sprawl. You don't have to train it to go up a trellis or other support. You can cut it if you want to. I don't think yours is mature enough to start a cutting. The vine looks pretty green. I would let it go longer but if you want to shorten it and try the tops, then go for it.

I think I started mine by just inserting semi-woody stems in good potting soil and keeping it moist, not wet.

This website has some good information that might help.

https://wimastergardener.org/article/bleeding-heart-vine-clerodendrum-thomsoniae/

it will not root from green young tip. the vine needs to be semi-wooded, so perhaps several months old? but you can definitely pinch to 2 newest full grown leaves: it will slow it down and it will start producing side shoots. You can stake it for now. I used to grow mint up high sort of like a standard with tall stem staked and then prune it well: it would produce lots of runners and started looking like a fountain of sorts .

this vine will produce many side shoots too.

I bloomed mine indoors only when it was in southern window with some western sun too, so 4-6 hours of sun. otherwise it just grows.

I wanted to get a C. speciosum but when I saw it for sale at a HD in Orlando last June for $20, I decided maybe not. I picked up smaller plants of other things that trip.

it's a good price for such a huge pot! surely not for indoors!

but I think that 'Delectum' is a cultivar of S. thomsoniae. although I do see it sold as C. speciosum. that's the one I had that grew huge from a tiny plant, but never bloomed.

long time ago I had a regular white one and it bloomed ev. year for many years, until accidentally it dried up while I was on vacation: I tried rooting the tips on that one and never succeeded. now I know better. on many tropical vines young tips just rot.

my 2 year old C. speciosissimum bloomed in june indoors in part light, then bloomed on the NE balcony again in august. But it's quite hard to overwinter it. Mine drops leaves and gets mites that are everpresent. Same with C. thomsoniae: it would produce tiny dew drops continuously on the underside of leaves. it's a pain in the neck to spray it all the time. and it gets chlorotic too, no matter how much I feed it. so, overall these are best kept outdoors, they are rampant growers!

I transferred it for winter to FL: it's blooming again and finally growing some healthy leaves too. the one on the pool terrace of the building, in a huge pot, is pathetic: all yellowed leaves and looks infested too..but inground on the street (in people's gardens) it looks very healthy even in winter colder months. But it does not drop below 45F here. it's been mostly in the 80s for a couple of months now. another ultra warm winter.

I love my plant but I have never babied a plant more than this one. I once had one that was just huge I believe at that time I was working I was busy so it only got a little attention and it loved it now new leaves that get just a little bit bigger They all fall off So I'm get full grown but they start curling thunder and falling off What in the world is wrong with my plant I've been so much time babying this one help please?