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Wild leadwort

Plumbago zeylanica

Also called White leadwort, Blister Bush, Bright Eyes, Ceylon Leadwort, Eyebright, Toothwort, Doctorbush

Wild leadwort
Photo: Bernard Loison, CC BY-SA 2.5

Plumbago zeylanica is a scrambling or climbing shrub with white flowers, found across tropical and subtropical regions; it is often grown as a garden or hedge plant. It grows best in warm, sunny spots with moderate watering and good drainage.

Family
Plumbaginaceae (Plumbagin family)
Grows as
Shrub, Climber
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly in the growing season and let the top of the soil dry out between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile garden soil or a loam-based potting mix.
Temperature
18–32 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain plumbagin, a irritant compound; the sap can blister skin and the plant is poisonous if eaten.
Native range
Tropics & Subtropics
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Plumbago zeylanica, commonly known as Ceylon leadwort, doctorbush or wild leadwort, is a species of plumbago with a pantropical distribution. Carl Linnaeus described the paleotropical P. zeylanica and Neotropical P. scandens as separate species, but they are currently considered synonymous.

Where it grows

Plumbago zeylanica grows throughout the tropical and sub-tropical climates of the world, including Australia and India. In Australia, it grows in the understory of monsoon forests and vine thickets from sea level to 900 m. In Dhofar, Oman, this species is often found growing on Olea trunks.

Other Plumbago plants

Cape leadwort · Whorled plantain · Iguana's Tail · Leadwort

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Plumbago zeylanica 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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