Clerodendrum quadriloculare, or Shooting Star, is a stunning subtropical shrub featuring pink-and-white balls of flowers from 6 to 10 inches across in winter. The foliage, to 6 inches in length, is greenish purple on the top of the leaf, and deep purple underneath. A member of Verbenaceae family, molecular data now suggests this genus is really more closely allied with the Lamiaceae, or mint, family. In subtropical climates this plant can reach 10 feet in height and be trained as a large shrub or a single-trunked small tree. If pruned back too hard, the plant responds by sending out root suckers that can be controlled by hand pulling (or by running over them with a lawnmower, as one gardener recommended).

The distribution of this plant is odd, being found in the wilds in Africa and some of the islands in the Pacific — which raises the question of how it got to those two widely dispersed locations without any populations in the intervening countries.