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.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
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
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 3 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Horizontal; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Obovate; Rhomboidal
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
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.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Blue
Flower value
Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
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.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Capsules. Seeds black.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Red brown arching branches that can be fragile, nodes with ringlike scars.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
East Asia, Tibet, Western China
Wildlife value
Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Hummingbirds; Pollinators
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Attracts Pollinators; Buffer; Colorful; Easy to Grow