Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

$8.50

32 in stock

SKU: NVF-ORN-BTB Categories: , Tag:

Description

Common buttonbush is a multi-stemmed shrub which grows 6-12 ft. or occasionally taller.  Glossy, dark-green leaves lack significant fall color. Flowers small, borne in distinctive, dense, spherical clusters (heads) with a fringe of pistils protruded beyond the white corollas. Long-lasting, unusual blossoms are white or pale-pink, one-inch globes that are pollinator friendly. Subsequent rounded masses of nutlets persist through the winter. Trunks are often twisted. Spreading, much-branched shrub or sometimes small tree with many branches (often crooked and leaning), irregular crown, balls of white flowers resembling pincushions, and buttonlike balls of fruit. Buttonbush is a handsome ornamental suited to wet soils and is also a honey plant. Ducks and other water birds and shorebirds consume the seeds.

This shrub needs consistently moist to wet, rich soils in full to partial sun. It does well in swamps, streambanks, riverbanks, lakes, and often in standing water up to 3 feet. It is adaptable to various soil types, except for dry ones, and is tolerant of heat and soil compaction. Flowering is poor in the shade or in dry soils.

Warning: The poisonous foliage of this abundant and widespread species is unpalatable to livestock. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:5a, 5b, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a

Bare root 2 – 3′