Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Bunge
Blue plumbago, leadwort, blue leadwood
Blue plumbago is native to eastern China. It is not found in the wild in North America. “Plumbago,” from the Latin plumbum, for lead, refers to the blue flower color of these plants; so does “leadwort.” A mineral sometimes called blue lead ore, also known as galena, is the namesake. (It is a little confusing though, since galena is a very shiny, dark silver color. The blue color comes from a layer of oxidation that sometimes forms on the surface, but I couldn’t find any very convincing photos of this.)
Plants: 6–12″ (15–30 cm) high and about 1–1½′ (30–45 cm) around, forming mats and often used by gardeners as ground covers.
Leaves: Oval and shiny, up to 2″ (5 cm) long, turning bronze red in the fall.
Flowers: Bright gentian blue 5-petaled flowers, each ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) around, appear in clusters from July to September.
Fruits: Capsules are pale yellowish brown. Seeds are red-brown.
Habitats: Rocky places and foothills.
Online References:
Plumbago larpentiae Lindl.
9/7/2010 · New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
9/7/2010 · New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Caryophyllidae | Cacti, many other succulents, carnivorous plants, and leadworts |
| Order | Plumbaginales | A relatively small order of shrubby or herbaceous plants |
| Family | Plumbaginaceae | Includes the leadwort and plumbago families |
| Genus | Ceratostigma | From the Greek keras, “a horn,” and stigma, from the hornlike projection on the stigma of the flower |
| Species | plumbaginoides | Resembles the genus Plumbago |
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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