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Common Name: Chinese Plumbago

General Information

Ceratostigma willmottianum is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - W. China to Tibet.

Habitat

Warm valleys at forest edges or in thickets; 700--3500 m. Gansu (Wen Xian), W Guizhou, S and W Sichuan, SE Xizang, E and N Yunnan[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a light moderately fertile and retentive soil with good drainage, though it tolerates poor dry soils[] and grows well on chalk[]. Requires a sunny position[, ].
Plants are not fully hardy in Britain, especially if treated as shrubs, but if treated as herbaceous perennials they succeed outdoors in areas where winter temperatures do not fall below about -10 to -15°c[]. When the woody stems survive the winter it is best to prune them hard in the spring in order to obtain better flowering[].
Plants flower best on the current years growth[].
Most, if not all the plants in cultivation in Britain, derive from an original two plants raised from seed in 1908[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Distrust of self', 'Doubt of one's ability' and 'Foolishness'[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of rooted suckers in the spring[].
Layering in the spring. Plants often self-layer[].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a closed frame[]. Plants should be overwintered in a frost-free frame or greenhouse for their first winter[].