Cape Leadwort – White – Plumbago auriculata ‘Alba’

$11.25 – $19.25

Pot Size	Average Planted Height (From soil to the top of the plant)
3 gallon/10″	1 – 2 ft.

SKU: N/A Categories: Cluster, Cuttings, Division, Exotic, Fall, Fast, Full Sun, Hedge, High, Low, Low, Moderate, Moderate, Part Sun, Sand, Seed, Shrub, Spring, Summer, Well-Drained, Winter Tag: White

General Landscape Uses: Flowering hedge

Ecological Restoration Notes: Not recommended.

Description: A mounding, multi-stemmed shrub with thin, “whip-like” green stems. The leaves are light green, oblong, and about 2 inches long with a distinctive ear-shaped (auriculate) base.

Dimensions: Height 3 – 6 ft.; Spread 3 – 6 ft.

Growth Rate: Fast

Native Range: South Africa and Mozambique

Native Habitats: Scrub thickets, forest margins, and “valley bushveld” (dry subtropical shrublands)

Soils: Well-drained, sand

Nutritional Requirements: Low to moderate

Salt Water Tolerance: Low

Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate

Drought Tolerance: High

Light Requirements: Full to part sun

Flower Color: White

Flower Characteristics: Phlox-like, 1-inch wide, 5-petaled flowers borne in dense terminal clusters (racemes). The calyx (base of the flower) is covered in sticky, glandular hairs.

Flowering Season: All year

Fruit: An inconspicuous, barbed capsule that hitches a ride on clothing or animal fur (hence the name “leadwort,” as it was once thought to “lead” or stick to things)

Wildlife and Ecology: A major butterfly attractor. It is a larval host plant for the Cassius Blue butterfly (Leptotes cassius) and provides nectar for many other species.

Horticultural Notes: Grown from cuttings, division, seed

Comments: The sap contains plumbagin, which can cause skin irritation or blistering (contact dermatitis) in some people. It is also toxic if ingested.