Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush is a wonderful deciduous shrub that grows anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall, and in some cases, it can even reach up to 20 feet! It has a charming, multi-branched structure with a rounded, open habit, often showcasing crooked and leaning branches along with irregular crowns that give it character. You’ll love the clusters of fragrant white flowers that look just like pincushions, with their lovely tubular, five-lobed petals. These beautiful flowers come in dense, spherical heads about 1.5 inches in diameter, attracting delightful visitors like hummingbirds, butterflies, and other friendly insect pollinators. Once the flowers fade, they make way for intriguing, hard, spherical fruits that resemble little balls packed with tiny, two-seeded nutlets. These cute fruiting heads often stick around throughout the winter, adding interest to the landscape. The glossy, bright green leaves of the buttonbush are oval to elliptical, about 6 inches long, and usually appear in pairs or whorls as they emerge late in spring. The name "buttonbush" comes from the Greek words "kephale," meaning "head," and "anthos," meaning "flower." Not only is buttonbush a striking ornamental plant that thrives in wet soils, but it’s also highly valued for providing nectar to honeybees. You can often spot this lovely plant in a variety of habitats here in Texas, from moist open areas and low woods to thickets, swamps, upland sinkhole ponds, river bottomlands, and along the edges of streams and ponds. Ducks, water birds, and shorebirds also enjoy feasting on the seeds of the buttonbush, adding to its charming role in nature. BONAP MAP Height: 5’-12'Spread: 4’-8'Bloom: JuneLight: Full Sun-Part SunWater: Medium-HighZone: 5-9Origin: Texas, Midwest
