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Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii

Summary 11

Buddleja davidii (spelling variant Buddleia davidii), also called summer lilac, butterfly-bush, or orange eye, is a species of flowering plant in the family Scrophulariaceae, native to Sichuan and Hubei provinces in central China, and also Japan. It is widely used as an ornamental plant, and many named varieties are in cultivation. B. davidii, named for the Basque missionary and explorer in China, Father Armand David, who first noticed the shrub, was found near Ichang by Dr...

Description 12

Orange-eye butterfly-bush, or summer lilac, is native to southwestern China and was introduced into North America around 1900 for ornamental purposes. It escaped from plantings and occurs in scattered locations in the Northeast, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic and in the western U.S. from southern California to northern Washington. Butterfly-bush prefers disturbed sites and riparian areas. It is a deciduous shrub with arching stems and can grow 3-15 ft. in height. The leaves are 6-10 in. long, opposite, lanced-shaped, pale gray-green, velvety and have toothed margins. It flowers summer to fall. The flowers are produced in thick, wand-like clusters from the tips of stems. Flowers are tubular, with four petals with wavy margins and can be lilac, pink or white with a deep yellow to orange center. The flowers produce lots of nectar which attracts butterflies. It spreads by seed which is dispersed mostly by wind. A related species, Lindley’s butterfly-bush (B. lindleyana) has been reported to be invasive in natural areas in Florida.

Invasive species 13

Buddleja davidii has been classified as an invasive species in many countries in temperate regions, including the United Kingdom and New Zealand. It is naturalized in Australia and in most cities of central and southern Europe, where it can spread on open lands and in gardens.

Within the United States, it is widely established as an escape from cultivation, and classified as a noxious weed by the states of Oregon and Washington.

Habitat 14

Although still popular in gardens, this species has escaped from cultivation and is now a common feature of waste ground, roadsides and railways, quarries and a range of urban habitats. It shows a preference for dry and disturbed sites (3).

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Jon Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/16921893@N00/7780060076
  2. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_000706-9001_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  3. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_010717-0052_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  4. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_010717-0044_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  5. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_061201-1786_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  6. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_071024-9978_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  7. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_010717-0050_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  8. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_060221-6009_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  9. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_060221-6020_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  10. (c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_060221-6021_Buddleja_davidii.jpg
  11. Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja_davidii
  12. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22734068
  13. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddleja_davidii
  14. (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/6688691

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