John Kennedy (Class of 1998) sent the photograph above for ID. Seems like each year in the early fall someone sends me of photo of this showy, somewhat weedy plant.
The pictured plant is commonly called turk’s turban, sky rocket, tube flower, or bowing lady clerodendrum. Its botanical name is Clerodendrum indicum. Clerodendrum means “chance tree”; indicum means of or from Indian.
This semi-woody, hollow-stemmed plant from the Malay archipelago grows to be 6-9′ feet tall often sprawling over. Naturalized throughout the southeastern U.S., this plant is found in disturbed places and along roadsides. Peggy Brinson, second president of the Eugenia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, conjectured that this plant was an escapee from McKee Jungle Gardens long ago. Though pretty, many people consider this plant to be a nuisance.
Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area 