Buddleja davidii

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.

This deciduous shrub has spread so well throughout Britain because the light seeds are winged and have extremely good powers of dispersal. The railways have acted as corridors for dispersal, from which the species has spread outwards (4). In more southerly areas it often forms very dense shrubberies (4).

This large shrub is so called because it is visited by large numbers of butterflies and moths, as it is an extremely good source of nectar (2). Indeed, the spread of this plant may have been the single factor responsible for the maintenance of many urban butterfly populations (4). The butterfly-bush has dark green lance-shaped leaves, which are white on the undersides. The purple flowers are densely arranged in flower spikes (2).

"Notes: Western Ghats, Cultivated, Native of East Asiatic Region"

Buddleja davidii Franch.:
Ecuador (South America)
Japan (Asia)
United States (North America)
Bolivia (South America)
China (Asia)
Colombia (South America)
Panama (Mesoamerica)
Venezuela (South America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan (most probably introduced)].

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

First introduced to Britain from China in the 1890s, the butterfly-bush has since spread throughout much of Britain, with the exception of most of the far north of Scotland (4).

Distribution: China, W. and C. Europe, India and Pakistan.

Deciduous shrub, up to 5 m tall. Branchlets 4-angled, tomentose. Leaves sub-sessile, 7-25 cm long, 1-7 cm broad, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, coarsely serrate, glabrous above, whitish tomentose beneath. Stipules interpetiolar, 2-lobed. Flowers sub-sessile, fragrant, in branched rounded clusters forming a terminal panicle 6-30 cm long. Bracts linear, 3 mm long. Calyx c. 3 mm long, stellate-tomentose. Corolla lilac to purple, orange to yellow at the mouth; corolla tube c. 1-1.2 cm long; straight, sparsely pubescent; lobes 3-4 mm long. Capsule glabrous, up to 1 cm long, cylindrical, pointed.

Shrubs 0.5--5 m tall; young branchlets, leaves abaxially, petioles, and inflorescences white tomentose or pubescent with stellate hairs. Branchlets nearly 4-angled. Stipules often present, suborbicular to ovate, 1--6 mm. Petiole 1--5 mm; leaf blade narrowly ovate, narrowly elliptic, or very narrowly ovate, 4--20 X 0.3--7.5 cm, adaxially dark green and glabrous or subglabrous, base cuneate, margin serrate, apex acuminate, lateral veins 9--14 pairs. Inflorescences terminal, seemingly racemose or thyrsoid cymes, 4--30 X 2--5 cm; lower bracts leafy, others small and linear. Calyx campanulate, 2--3.5 mm, outside stellate pubescent to glabrous; lobes narrowly triangular, 0.5--2 mm. Corolla violet to dark purple, sometimes white, with an orange-yellow throat, 0.8--1.4 cm, outside glabrous or stellate pubescent and/or with glandular hairs; tube narrowly cylindrical or subcylindrical, 6--11.5 X 1--1.5 mm, inside pilose except at base; lobes suborbicular, 1.5--3 X 1.5--3 mm, outside glabrous. Stamens inserted at middle to near base of corolla tube; anthers oblong, 0.8--1.2 mm. Ovary ovoid, 1.2--2 X 0.8--1.1 mm, glabrous to minutely pubescent, sometimes with glandular hairs. Style 0.5--1.5 mm; stigma clavate. Capsules brown, narrowly ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid, 5--9 X 1.5--2 mm, glabrous or sparsely stellate pubescent. Seeds ellipsoid, 2--4 X ca. 0.5 mm, long winged at both ends. Fl. May-Oct.

Buddleja davidii var. alba Rehder & E. H. Wilson; B. davidii var. glabrescens Gagnepain; B. davidii var. magnifica (E. H. Wilson) Rehder & E. H. Wilson; B. davidii var. nanhoensis (Chittenden) Rehder; B. davidii var. superba (Veitch) Rehder & E. H. Wilson; B. davidii var. veitchiana (Veitch) Rehder & Bailey; B. davidii var. wilsonii (E. H. Wilson) Rehder & E. H. Wilson; B. shaanxiensis Z. Y. Zhang; B. shimidzuana Nakai; B. striata Z. Y. Zhang; B. striata var. zhouquensis Z. Y. Zhang; B. variabilis Hemsley; B. variabilis var. magnifica E. H. Wilson; B. variabilis var. nanhoensis Chittenden; B. variabilis var. prostrata C. K. Schneider; B. variabilis var. superba Veitch; B. variabilis var. veitchiana Veitch; B. variabilis var. wilsonii E. H. Wilson.

Thickets on mountain slopes, side of draws in mountains; 800--3000 m.

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).

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Ganoderma australe is saprobic on dead trunk of Buddleja variabilis

Foodplant / miner
larva of Amauromyza verbasci mines leaf of Buddleja davidii

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Auricularia auricula-judae is saprobic on wood of Buddleja davidii

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Byssomerulius corium is saprobic on fallen, decayed wood of Buddleja davidii
Other: minor host/prey

Foodplant / saprobe
basidiome of Chaetotyphula actiniceps is saprobic on dead, attached inflorescence of Buddleja davidii

Foodplant / open feeder
Cionus scrophulariae grazes on leaf of Buddleja davidii

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Dendrothele commixta is saprobic on dead, attached twig of Buddleja davidii

Foodplant / parasite
sporangium of Peronospora hariotii parasitises live Buddleja davidii

Foodplant / parasite
fruitbody of Phlebiella bourdotii parasitises live twig of Buddleja davidii

Foodplant / saprobe
fruitbody of Steccherinum ochraceum is saprobic on dead, fallen, decayed twig of Buddleja davidii
Other: minor host/prey

Fl. Per.: Aug.-Sept.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure

A widespread introduced species (3).

This introduced species is not threatened.

These species are introduced in Switzerland.

Not relevant.