Ceratostigma willmottianum

Ceratostigma willmottianum, Chinese plumbago,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae that is native to western China and Tibet.

[2] It is an ornamental deciduous shrub that grows to 1 metre in height, with pale blue plumbago-like flowers appearing in autumn as the leaves start to turn red.

[4] The specific epithet willmottianum was named for Miss Ellen Ann Willmott (1858-1934), a keen gardener and plant introducer from Warley Place, Essex, UK.

[4] Ceratostigma willmottianum is cultivated as a garden plant, valued for its late season red leaves and rich blue flowers.

Both the species[1] and the cultivar Forest Blue = 'Lice'[5] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.