''Buddleja'' (; ''Buddleia''; also historically given as ''Buddlea'') is a genus comprising over 140
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of flowering plants endemic to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The generic name bestowed by Linnaeus posthumously honoured the Reverend
Adam Buddle
Adam Buddle (1662–1715) was an English cleric and botanist.
Born at Deeping St James, a small village near Peterborough, Buddle was educated at Woodbridge School and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he gained a BA in 1681, and an MA ...
(1662–1715), an English
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
and
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
, at the suggestion of Dr. William Houstoun. Houstoun sent the first plants to become known to science as buddleja ( ''B. americana'') to England from the Caribbean about 15 years after Buddle's death.
Nomenclature
The botanic name has been the source of some confusion. By modern practice of
botanical Latin
Botanical Latin is a technical language based on New Latin, used for descriptions of botanical taxa. Until 2012, International Code of Botanical Nomenclature mandated Botanical Latin to be used for the descriptions of most new taxa. It is still the ...
, the spelling of a generic name made from 'Buddle' would be ''Buddleia'', but Linnaeus in his '' Species Plantarum'' of 1753 and 1754 spelled it ''Buddleja'', with the long i between two vowels, common in early modern orthography.Linnaei, C. (1753). ''Species plantarum''. Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm. The pronunciation of the long i in ''Buddleja'' as ''j'' is a common modern error. The
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...
has gradually changed to incorporate stricter rules about
orthographic variant In biology, within the science of scientific nomenclature, i.e. the naming of organisms, an orthographical variant (abbreviated orth. var.) in botany or an orthographic error in zoology, is a spelling mistake, typing mistake or writing mistake with ...
s and as of the 2006 edition requires (article 60, particularly 60.5) that Linnaeus' spelling should be followed in this case..
Classification
The genus ''Buddleja'' is now included in
Scrophulariaceae
The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial ( actinomorphic) symmetry. The Sc ...
, having earlier been classified under Buddlejaceae ( synonym: Oftiaceae) and
Loganiaceae
The Loganiaceae are a family of flowering plants classified in order Gentianales. The family includes up to 13 genera, distributed around the world's tropics. There are not any great morphological characteristics to distinguish these taxa from o ...
Description
Of the approximately 140 species, nearly all are shrubs less than tall, but a few qualify as trees, the largest reaching . Both evergreen and deciduous species occur, in tropical and temperate regions respectively. The
leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
are lanceolate in most species, and arranged in opposite pairs on the stems (alternate in one species, '' B. alternifolia''); they range from long. The flowers of the Asiatic species are mostly produced in terminal
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
s long; the American species more commonly as cymes forming small, globose heads. Each individual flower is tubular and divided into four spreading lobes ( petals) about across, the
corolla
Corolla may refer to:
*Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit
*Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name
*Corolla (headgear)
A ''corolla'' is an ancient headdress in the form of a small circlet or crown.hummingbirds, rather than insects, as exclusive pollinators.
The colour of the flowers varies widely, from mostly pastel pinks and blues in Asia, to vibrant yellows and reds in the New World, while many cultivars have deeper tones. The flowers are generally rich in nectar and often strongly honey-scented. The fruit is a small capsule about long and diameter, containing numerous small seeds; in a few species (previously classified in the separate genus ''Nicodemia'') the capsule is soft and fleshy, forming a
berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
.
Distribution
The genus is found in four continents. Over 60 species are native through the New World from the southern United States south to Chile, while many other species are found in the Old World, in Africa, and parts of Asia, but all are absent as natives from Europe and Australasia. The species are divided into three groups based on their floral type: those in the New World are mostly dioecious (occasionally
hermaphrodite
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have s ...
or trioecious), while those in the Old World are exclusively hermaphrodite with perfect flowers.
Cultivation and uses
As garden shrubs, buddlejas are essentially 20th-century plants, with the exception of '' B. globosa'' which was introduced to Britain from southern Chile in 1774 and disseminated from the nursery of
Lee and Kennedy
Lee and Kennedy were two families of prominent Scottish nurserymen in partnership for three generations at the Vineyard Nursery in Hammersmith, west of London. Contains biographical entries concerning the Lees and Kennedys. "For many years," wrote ...
, Hammersmith. Several species are popular garden plants and are commonly known as "butterfly bushes", owing to their attractiveness to
butterflies
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...
, and have become staples of the modern
butterfly garden
Butterfly gardening is a way to create, improve, and maintain habitat for lepidopterans including butterflies, skippers, and moths. Butterflies have four distinct life stages—egg, larva, chrysalis, and adult. In order to support and sustain ...
; they are also attractive to
bee
Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...
s and moths.
The most popular cultivated species is ''
Buddleja davidii
''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 als ...
'' from central China, named for the French
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
missionary and naturalist Père
Armand David
Father Armand David (7 September 1826, Espelette – 10 November 1900, Paris) was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist.
Several species, such as Père David's deer, are named after him — b ...
. Other common garden species include the aforementioned ''B. globosa'', grown for its strongly honey-scented orange globular
inflorescences
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...
, and the weeping ''
Buddleja alternifolia
''Buddleja alternifolia'', known as alternate-leaved butterfly-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, which is endemic to Gansu, China. A substantial deciduous shrub growing to tall and wide, it bears grey-green leaves and ...
''. Several interspecific hybrids have been made, notably ''B.'' 'Lochinch' (''B. davidii'' × ''B. fallowiana'') and ''B. × weyeriana'' (''B. globosa'' × ''B. davidii''), the latter a cross between a South American and an Asiatic species.
Some species commonly escape from the garden. ''B. davidii'' in particular is an extensive coloniser of dry open ground. In urban areas in the United Kingdom, it often self-sows on waste ground or old masonry, where it grows into a dense thicket. A number of agricultural organizations and governing authorities throughout the world have designated the plant as an invasive species or a noxious weed. It is frequently seen in the United Kingdom beside railway lines, on the sites of derelict factories and other buildings and, in the aftermath of World War II, on urban bomb sites. That earned it the popular nickname of "the bomb site plant".
Popular garden cultivars include 'Royal Red' (reddish-purple flowers), 'Black Knight' (very dark purple), 'Sungold' (golden yellow), and 'Pink Delight' (pure pink). In recent years, much breeding work has been undertaken to create seed sterile cultivars (see Non-invasive Buddleja cultivars). This is a particularly important consideration in the United States, where several states have banned ''B. davidii'' and its fertile cultivars because of their invasiveness. Unlike native ''B. davidii'', some of these non-invasive cultivars are small and compact, such as 'Blue Chip', which only reaches a height of and a width of .(1)
Buddleja collections
In Britain, there are four
National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens
Plant Heritage, formerly known as the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG), is a botanical conservation organisation in the United Kingdom and a registered charity. It was founded in 1978 to combine the talents of bo ...
List of Buddleja species and naturally occurring hybrids
The many species of ''Buddleja'' have been the subject of much taxonomic contention. The listing below includes the names, still prevalent in horticulture, of many former Asiatic species sunk by the late Toon Leeuwenberg as ''Buddleja crispa'' and adopted as such in the definitive ''Flora of China''.Norman, E. (2000). Buddlejaceae. ''Flora Neotropica, Vol. 81.'' New York Botanical Garden, USA.
* ''
Buddleja acuminata
''Buddleja acuminata'' is a rare shrub endemic to the northern half of Madagascar and eastern Zaire, where it grows along forest edges and in clearings at elevations of 50–800 m. The species was first named and described by Poiret in 1 ...
Buddleja alternifolia
''Buddleja alternifolia'', known as alternate-leaved butterfly-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, which is endemic to Gansu, China. A substantial deciduous shrub growing to tall and wide, it bears grey-green leaves and ...
Buddleja crispa
''Buddleja crispa'', the Himalayan butterfly bush, is a deciduous shrub native to Afghanistan, Bhutan, North India, Nepal, Pakistan and China (Gansu, Sichuan, Tibetan Autonomous Region), where it grows on dry river beds, slopes with boulders, ex ...
Buddleja davidii
''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 als ...
'' Franch. (Butterfly bush)
* ''
Buddleja delavayi
''Buddleja delavayi'' is a Chinese species discovered by Forrest in the Tali Range above Dali (2000 – 2500 m elevation), Yunnan, in 1910; Cotton, A. D. (1947). Spring flowering buddleias. ''RHS Journal'' Vol. 72. 1947. 427–437. Roya ...
Buddleja domingensis
''Buddleja domingensis'' is a species endemic to the uplands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, growing in rocky, limestone ravines, along forest edges and roadsides; it was first described and named by Ignatz Urban in 1908.Urban, I. (1908). '' ...
Buddleja globosa
''Buddleja globosa'', also known as the orange-ball-tree, orange ball buddleja, and matico, is a species of flowering plant endemic to Chile and Argentina, where it grows in dry and moist forest, from sea level to 2,000 m.Norman, E. M. (2000 ...
Buddleja officinalis
''Buddleja officinalis'' is a deciduous early-spring flowering shrub native to west Hubei, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China.Phillips, R. & Rix, M. (1989). ''Shrubs''. Pan Books, London. Discovered in 1875 by Pavel Piasetski,Bryce, W. J. (2 ...
'' Maxim.
* ''
Buddleja paniculata
''Buddleja paniculata'' is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae,
endemic to a wide upland area from northern India to Bhutan, growing along forest margins, in thickets, and on rocky slopes at elevations of . The spe ...
Cephalanthus glabratus
''Cephalanthus glabratus'' is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that is native to South America. A common local name is sarandí colorado.
It was described by ( Spreng.) K.Schum. and published in ''Flora Brasiliensi ...
Image:Buddavii.jpg, ''B. davidii'' - Invasive species, here in an urban area
Image:Buddleja asiatica.jpg, ''Buddleja madagascariensis'' - flowers and foliage
File:Ibuddleiaigarata.jpg, Unidentified ''Buddleja'' species in Igarata, Brazil
File:Monarch Butterfly Flower.jpg, Monarch butterfly feeding on ''Buddleja davidii'' in Connecticut
File:Buddleja officinalis with Red Admiral.jpg, Red Admiral butterfly feeding on ''Buddleja officinalis'' in January
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
*Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979) ''The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species''. H. Veenman & Zonen, Wageningen, Nederland.
North and South American species
*Norman, E. (2000). Buddlejaceae. ''Flora Neotropica, Vol. 81.'' New York Botanical Garden, USA.
Cultivated species and cultivars
*Stuart, D. (2006). ''Buddlejas''. RHS Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon, USA.