Red Hot Cattail is the name of this attractive, constant blooming, to three meters high, flowering shrub, which is also known by the names Philippines Medusa, Red Cattail, and Foxtail.

In Thai, it is called hahng kra-rohk daeng, which means ‘red squirrel's tail’. All these names refer to this shrub's furry flowers, that range in colour from bright red to purple, and grow in clusters along small spikes of hanging flowers called catkins, which gave rise to the name Red  Hot Cattail.