Rotheca myricoides, the butterfly bush or cats-whiskers used to be known as Clerodendrum myricoides. While it often only grows to shrub proportions, trees of up to 8 m with these unusual flowers can be seen in some north-eastern parts of South Africa and over the border in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and further to the north. The large distribution area is associated with a wealth of forms of this tree.

Butterfly bush leaves have a foetid smell when crushed. The red and eventually black fruits are edible. Traditional medicinal uses for the plant exist, as well as remedies for treating livestock. Someone in Florida in the USA reported that the flowers attracted “lots of wasps” (Coates Palgrave, 2002; http://davesgarden.com).