Clerodendrum indicum

Turk's Turban, Skyrocket, Bowing Lady

Message of the Flower

Divine Will Acting in the Subconscient

The Mother’s Comment

The rare moments when the Divine asserts Himself visibly.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

As there is a superconscient (something above our present consciousness) above the head from which the higher consciousness comes down into the body, so there is also a subconscient (something below our consciousness) below the feet. Matter is under the control of this power, because it is that out of which it has been created—that is why matter seems to us to be quite unconscious. The material body is very much under the influence of this power for the same reason; it is why we are not conscious of what is going on in the body, for the most part. The outer consciousness goes down into this subconscient when we are asleep, and so it becomes unaware of what is going on in us when we are asleep except for a few dreams. Many of these dreams rise up from the subconscient and are made up of old memories, impressions etc. put together in an incoherent way. For the subconscient receives impressions of all we do or experience in our lives and keeps these impressions in it, sending up often fragments of them in sleep. It is a very important part of the being, but we can do nothing much with it by the conscious will. It is the higher Force working in us that in its natural course will open the subconscient to itself and bring down into it its control and light.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - IV: The Subconscient and the Integral Yoga

The subconscient is to be penetrated by the light and made a sort of bedrock of truth, a store of right impressions, right physical responses to the Truth. Strictly speaking, it will not be subconscient at all, but a sort of bank of true values held ready for use.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - IV: The Subconscient and the Integral Yoga

Colour

White, rose violet

Family

Verbenaceae

Cultivars

Not specified

Person who named the flower

Linnaeus

Flower Size

1-2 inches

Flower Texture

Smooth

Number of Petals

Five

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Mildly fragrant

Leaf Texture

Smooth to slightly hairy

Leaf Arrangement

Opposite

Leaf Color

Green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub or small tree

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Summer to early fall

Climate

Tropical and subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate, prefers well-drained soil

Soil Type

Fertile, well-drained

Temperature Ranges

Prefer warmer climates, frost sensitive

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Can be susceptible to leaf spot and root rot

Pollinators

Attracts bees and butterflies

Habitat

Native to tropical Asia, often found in gardens

Role in the Ecosystem

Attracts pollinators, used as a decorative plant

Quotations

Common in folklore for its purported medicinal uses

Ornamental

Not used in cooking

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Not listed as endangered

Endangered Status

Sensitive to cold and excessive moisture