Samai / Clerodendron
Clerodendrum paniculatum
Also known as Orange Tower Flower, Pagoda Flower
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Goa & more
- Flowering
- May-December
How to identify Samai
Identify Samai by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Pagoda-shaped flower panicle.
- Confirm flower colour: Orange.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Cyme.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: May-December.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Verbenaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Samai.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Clerodendrum paniculatum
- Genus
- Clerodendrum
- Family
- Verbenaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Often cultivated in gardens
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Distribution
- Indo-Malesia
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Uttarakhand, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya
- Flowering & fruiting
- May-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Typical of the Verbenaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Orangerecorded
- Flower arrangement
- CymerecordedA branched cluster where the central/terminal flower opens first.“It is noted for its red flowers, arranged in a thyrsoid cyme up to 40 cm (16 in) long by 38 cm (15 in) wide, and very precisely formed.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Drupe
Characters marked “recorded” are for Samai itself; the rest are typical of the Verbenaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- লালভান্ডির
- Kannada
- ಕೃಷ್ಣನಕಿರೀಟ Krishnana kireeta, ಕೃಷ್ಣನತೇರು Krishnana teru
- Malayalam
- കൃഷ്ണകിരീടം, കൃഷ്ണമുടി, പെരു
- Marathi
- समई Samai
About Samai
A member of the Verbenaceae family, Clerodendron (Clerodendrum paniculatum) is a shrub. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and 9 other states. It grows in often cultivated in gardens. Flowering and fruiting run from May to December.
Verbenaceae
Verbena/Teak family
Samai belongs to the Verbenaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Verbenaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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