Chinese Leadwort Ceratostigma willmottianum
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ser-ah-toh-STIG-muh wil-mot-ee-AH-num
- Description
-
Chinese Plumbago is a deciduous, flowering, herbaceous perennial shrub, with arching red stems and pale blue flowers, maturing at a bit over 3 feet high by 3 feet wide after about five years. It is a native of China and often found in warm valleys at forest edges or in thickets. It is typically an ornamental plant with the leaves turning a stunning red in the fall providing interest in the landscape. It spreads by means of rhizomes rooting at nodes just below ground. The genus name is derived from the Greek, meaning 'horned stigma’, in reference to the ‘shape of the stigmatic surface’. The species is named for Ellen Ann Willmott (1858-1934), a British gardener and plant introducer.
Chinese Plumbago does well in sandy and loamy soils and prefers well-drained, dry or moist soil. It does tolerate nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers full sun or partial shade, but it cannot grow in full shade. The shrub can be pruned and the woody stems that survive the winter can be pruned hard in the spring to obtain better flowering. The plants flower best on the current years growth. The plant is deer resistant.
Diseases, insect pests, and other plant problems: During times of extreme heat, regular watering is crucial.
No serious diseases or insect pests.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Palmgold'
Gold colored foliage
- 'Palmgold'
- 'Palmgold'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Palmgold'
Gold colored foliage
- 'Palmgold'
- 'Palmgold'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ceratostigma
- Species:
- willmottianum
- Family:
- Plumbaginaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- East Asia, Tibet, Western China
- Wildlife Value:
- Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Buffer
- Colorful
- Easy to Grow
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- deer
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 3 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
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-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Horizontal
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- Capsules. Seeds black.
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-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Head
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Good Cut
- Long Bloom Season
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The pale blue flowers resemble plumbago, hence the common name. Inflorescences are terminal or axillary, 3 to 7-flowered, sometimes crowded. Blossom in late summer to early fall.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Obovate
- Rhomboidal
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The diamond-shaped green with purple margins, 2 inch long bristly leaves turn red in the fall and often form ringlike scars after falling. Leaf blade obovate-rhombic, ovate-rhombic, or rarely obovate.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Bud Scales:
- Enclosed in a single cap like scale
- Stem Description:
- Red brown arching branches that can be fragile, nodes with ringlike scars.
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-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Lawn
- Naturalized Area
- Patio
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Asian Garden
- Butterfly Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Cutting Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Diseases
- Dry Soil
- Insect Pests
- Poor Soil
