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Whorled plantain

Plumbago indica

Also called Indian Leadwort, Scarlet Leadwort

In Singapore: Scarlett Leadwort, Rosy-flowered Leadwort (Grown in Singapore)

Whorled plantain
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0

Plumbago indica is a spreading evergreen shrub or scrambling subshrub grown for its clusters of deep pink to scarlet flowers, mostly in winter. It needs warmth and frost protection in cool climates.

Family
Plumbaginaceae (Plumbagin family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly during the growing season and let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile garden soil or a loam-based potting mix.
Temperature
Minimum about 7 °C; comfortable range roughly 15–30 °C; protect below 7 °C.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Indian Subcontinent to China (S. & SE. Yunnan) and Malesia
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Plumbago indica, the Indian leadwort, scarlet leadwort or whorled plantain, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Yunnan in southern China.

Growing to 2 m (7 ft) tall by 1 m (3 ft) wide, it is a spreading evergreen shrub with oval leaves. It produces racemes of deep pink or scarlet flowers in winter.

Other Plumbago plants

Cape leadwort · Iguana's Tail · Wild leadwort · Leadwort

[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Plumbago indica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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