Another Mystery Solved!

Harlequin Glorybower - Clerodendrum trichotomum - AKA Peanut Butter Tree

I took this picture a few weeks ago (Nov 1) in the powerline park and thought the tree was really interesting, but I had no idea what kind of tree it was and didn't even know where to start.

Yesterday, I was on a fieldtrip with my SBAP class and saw another one of these trees. Luckily someone in my class recognized it and was able to tell me what it was.

The strangest thing is that I think we have one of these Glorybower trees in our yard. I didn't see any of these seeds on the tree (if there were any, they've fallen off already), but I do remember taking a good look at the flowers and leaves on the tree and they looked exactly like the ones pictured. Unfortunately I didn't think to crush a leaf and smell it, because I certainly would have remembered a plant that smelled like peanut butter! Oh well, I'll remember it for next year.

But there's still one more mystery... Why doesn't our tree have seeds on it? The literature says that the fruit should persist until January. Did the birds eat them? Is ours sterile or something? I don't know.

BTW, this post is called "Another Mystery Solved" because Agnes solved a mystery of her own this week.