說明/ 小灌木，全株高1–2 公尺，臺灣原生種，常見於半遮蔭的樹林以及灌叢間，在完全向陽的環境較少見。單葉對生，闊卵形至卵狀心形，先端尖，開花時呈頂生的圓錐花序排列，雄蕊特別長，挺出於花冠之外。在中國花期多為端午節前後，所以名為龍船花。臺灣的花期則不一定，約略可從3 月到10 月。因花色殷紅，葉如桐葉，古代文人稱其為赬（音撐，淺紅色之意）桐花，常以詩歌詠歎，盛開時紅花綠葉甚為美觀。果實為核果，呈田字形，內含四顆種子，成熟後變成黑色。（陸維元攝）

A small shrub that can grow to 1-2 m tall. Native to Taiwan, it is often seen in half-shaded forests and among bushes, rarely seen in environments with full sunlight. The leaves are simple, opposite, broadly ovate, with sharp tips. The inflorescences are panicle terminal, with particularly long stamens sticking out of the corolla. In China, it usually flowers around the Dragon Boat Festival, giving the plant its Chinese name “Dragon Boat Flower.” In Taiwan, flowering takes place from March to October. The flowers are bright red, and the leaves are similar to wutong leaves. Also known as “Cheng Tong Flower”in the past, it is often praised in songs and poems. The ripe drupes are dark blue with 4 1-seeded pyrenes.(Photo courtesy of Lu Wei-yuan)