Plumbago auriculata - Plumbago

This is a genus of ten species native to warm regions of Africa and Asia. Plumbago is a scrambling, shrubby plant from southern Africa that produces a long season of blue or white flowers. In warm climates, it is evergreen. The stems can mound on top of one another to a height of four feet or more. It was once thought to be a cure for lead poisoning. Traditional uses also include treatment of warts, broken bones and wounds. Also, it has been used to dispel bad dreams and to ward off lightning. In south Florida, larvae of the cassius blue butterfly feed on plumbago.

Plumbago is near its northern limit as a perennial in north Florida. It dies to the ground with winter lows in the lower 20's F. Unprotected plants have recovered the following spring from winter lows in the upper teens F. It flowers through summer to the first hard freeze.