Plumbago auriculata

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Plumbago auriculata

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Kemper Code: A542

Common Name: Cape leadwort
Zone: 8 to 11
Plant Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Plumbaginaceae
Missouri Native: No
Native Range: South Africa
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Spread: 1 to 3 feet
Bloom Time: Flowers freely
Bloom Color: Pale blue
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Unknown

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Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Uses:		Wildlife:	Flowers:	Leaves:	Fruit:
Hedge	Suitable as annual	Attracts birds	Has showy flowers	Leaves colorful	Has showy fruit
Shade tree	Culinary herb	Attracts	Has fragrant flowers	Leaves fragrant	Fruit edible
Street tree	Vegetable	hummingbirds	Flowers not showy	Good fall color	Other:
Flowering tree	Water garden plant	Attracts	Good cut flower	Evergreen	Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1')	Will naturalize	butterflies	Good dried flower		Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Winter hardy to USDA Zones 8-11 where it grows best in organically rich, fertile, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. In St. Louis, grow in pots/containers which must be overwintered indoors. May be grown as a rounded shrub or trained with ties on a trellis as a vine. Site in locations protected from strong winds. During the growing season, it does best in consistently moist soils, but established plants are quite tolerant of some drought. When overwintering as a houseplant, bring indoors before first fall frost to a bright sunny room. Cut back stems hard in late winter to encourage new growth for the coming season. When overwintering as a dormant plant, cut stems back and store in a cool, dry, dark corner of a basement or frost-free garage. May be easily grown from seed, but plants generally will not flower until the second year.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Native to South Africa, cape leadwort or cape plumbago is a weak-stemmed perennial evergreen shrub that grows 6-7’ tall and 8-10’ wide in its native habitat. When grown in containers in St. Louis, it more typically will grow 1-3’ per year and is often kept relatively compact through periodic prunings and/or a hard annual pruning. Features clusters (terminal racemes) of pale blue phlox-like flowers that bloom freely throughout the growing season. Flowers are followed by barbed fruit capsules. Oblong to oblanceolate green leaves (to 3” long) have ear-shaped bases, hence the species name. Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, a low-growing ground cover that is winter hardy to St. Louis and is grown at the Kemper Center (see B960), is in the same family as the within plant and is commonly called plumbago.

Problems:

Watch for whiteflies, spider mites and mealy bugs on indoor plants.

Uses:

Commonly grown in the tropics or subtropics as a low hedge, ground cover or on fences. In St. Louis, grow in pots/containers for patios, decks or other sunny areas around the home or sink to the rim in garden areas. Houseplant.