The Cape leadwort is an evergreen perennial shrub that scrambles somewhat. Plumbago auriculata is a well-known garden plant in many parts of the world. In fact, several sources take it to be indigenous to South America and not South Africa where one often sees it growing wild in the Eastern Cape veld. Could it be that the two continents share this plant in the natural state from before the split? Imperial Blue is but one of the widely marketed cultivars.