Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendrum Ugandense) Profile: Info & Care Guide

Blue Butterfly Bush, scientific name Clerodendrum ugandense, is a small evergreen shrub of the Genus Chengtung of the family Verbena. Blue Butterfly Bush is native to Uganda, Africa, so it is also called Jeontung of Uganda. When in full bloom, the flowers are like butterflies dancing gracefully. As pure as an angel, so beautiful and noble, as bright as the stars in the dark night.

Blue Butterfly Bush adapts to semi-sunshine to full sunshine. The hot sun makes the leaves yellow, but does not affect growth and flowering.In winter, a cold snap can cause a slight dormancy of fallen leaves. Spring and summer flowering, inflorescences stretch out from branch tips, blossoming time quite a long opening period.

Blue Butterfly Bush Picture

Blue Butterfly Bush Info

Botanical Name	Clerodendrum ugandense
Common Names	Blue Butterfly Bush
Plant Type	Broadleaf evergreen
Sun	Full sun and partial shade
Hardiness Zones	9 to 11
Flower color	Light blue/violet (bicolor)
Foliage	Evergreen
Mature size	2.00 to 4.00 feet high, 2.00 to 3.00 feet wide

Blue Butterfly Bush Characteristics

Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendrum Ugandense) is a tropical evergreen shrub with blue-white corolla, blue-purple labellum and completely flat petals. Cup-shaped calyx 5 lobed, lobes round, greenish purple, there are 4 slender straight forward curved filaments, purple or white, very unique.

Butterfly Bush Stem

Young branches of Butterfly Bush are square, purplish brown. The height is 60cm ~ 1 meter.

Butterfly Bush Leaf

Butterfly Bush leaves opposite, obovate to oblateolate, apex acute or obtuse, upper part of leaf margin shallowly serrate, lower part entire.

Butterfly Bush Flowers

The flowers of Butterfly Bush are pale blue to purple in color and resemble butterflies, with spreading petals, a white corolla, purplish-blue labellum, and slender stamens. Panicle is terminal. Calyx is 5-lobed, lobes rounded, greenish purplish.

Butterfly Bush Fruit

Fruit of Butterfly Bush is ellipse globose. Diameter is about 0.5~0.8 cm. The surface is punctured.

Blue Butterfly Bush Native Habits

Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendrum Ugandense) does not require strict soil quality, loam or sandy loam is preferred, and drainage needs to be good.

Butterfly Bush likes high temperature, and the suitable temperature for growth is about 23-32 degrees, and it is adapted to the environment of half-sunshine to full sunshine. It blooms in spring and summer, and can be dwarfed after flowering to avoid getting taller and taller. In winter, Butterfly Bush needs to be warm and sheltered from wind. In winter, the low temperature and cold current will cause a little dormancy phenomenon of fallen leaves. Apply a long - acting fertilizer at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and replenish it once more after flowering.

Blue Butterfly Bush Care

Butterfly Bush Temperature Care

Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendrum Ugandense) likes hot weather, and the suitable growth temperature is about 23-32℃. In winter, plants need to be kept in a warm, sheltered place to survive the winter.

Butterfly Bush Lighting Requirments

It is suitable for Butterfly Bush plants to grow in the semi-sunshine to full sunshine environment. However, long-term exposure to the sun should be avoided, otherwise the leaves will turn yellow and the ornamental value will be reduced.

Butterfly Bush Fertilizer

Apply a long - acting fertilizer at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and replenish it once more after flowering.

Butterfly Bush Soil Care

The fertile loam or sandy loam with good drainage was suitable for Butterfly Bush cultivation.

Butterfly Bush Pruning

In winter, under cold conditions, there will be a slight dormancy phenomenon of leaves. Butterfly Bush can be trimmed properly after flowering to prevent it from growing taller and thinner.

Blue Butterfly Bush Propagation

Blue Butterfly Bush is commonly propagated by cuttage, and spring and autumn are the suitable period.

Butterfly Bush Distribution

Butterfly Bush is native to Uganda in Africa, so it is also called Uganda Jeontung. Uganda in Africa is adapted to the climate of Butterfly Bush.

Blue Butterfly Bush Uses

Ornamental value

Butterfly Bush has four long slender filaments that bend forward. They are purple or white and very chic. When in full bloom, the shape of the flower is like the butterfly dancing, the flower posture is very elegant, very ornamental.

Potted flower bed

Butterfly Bush (Clerodendrum Ugandense) is a fine garden flower that can be used as a flower bed. Butterfly Bush is a blue color that is relatively rare in the flower world, so it's sought after by people. Flowering period is longer, suitable for landscaping or potting.