blue leadwood
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Bunge
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides creates a strong contrast within each small flower: a reddish-purple tube opens into blue lobes. Even the anthers are blue. The flowers gather in clusters at the ends of shoots and sometimes in the leaf axils, each accompanied by small bracts. This is a perennial whose display rises from an underground network of branched rhizomes. Flora of China: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Botanical name
Kew accepts Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Bunge; Plumbago larpentiae is a verified synonym. Kew POWO: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Recognizing the plant
Above ground, the slender stems may be simple or branched and usually reach only a few tens of centimeters. Broadly oval to inversely egg-shaped leaves narrow toward their bases. Each blue flower lobe has a slight notch and a tiny pointed tip. Later, pale yellow-brown capsules enclose reddish-brown seeds. The contrast between broad foliage and finely structured flowers gives the plant detail at both leaf and blossom scale. Flora of China: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Seasonal development
China
In the Chinese flora, flowering is recorded from July to September and fruiting from August to October. Flora of China: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Native range
The species is native to northern and east-central China. Flora of China records it in rocky places, frequently in foothills, including Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanxi and Zhejiang. Kew POWO: Ceratostigma plumbaginoidesFlora of China: Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.