''Buddleja auriculata'' is an evergreen

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

endemic to Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa, growing in montane fields and thickets at elevations of 600–2,000 m.Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979) ''The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species''. H. Veenman & Zonen, Wageningen, Nederland. First collected by W. J. Burchell in 1813, and named by Bentham, the date of its introduction to western cultivation is not known, however it was accorded the Royal Horticultural Society

Award of Merit The Award of Merit, or AM, is a mark of quality awarded to plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The award was instituted in 1888, and given on the recommendation of Plant Committees to plants deemed "of great merit for exhibitio ...

in 1923.Bean, W. J. (1970). ''Trees & Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, 8th ed., Vol. 1.''. (2nd impression 1976) London.

Description

''Buddleja auriculata'' makes a large shrub up to 6 m in height, flowering in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

from October to December. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, and dark green, contrasting strongly with the inflorescences, comprising small, loose, off-white

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, 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), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

s with yellow throats, and exuding a scent once compared with

Chanel No. 5 Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume launched by French couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in 1921. The scent formula for the fragrance was compounded by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux. The design of its bottle has been an impo ...

.Phillips, R. & Rix, M. (1989). ''Shrubs''. Pan Books, London.

Cultivation

''Buddleja auriculata'' is not hardy below −10 ° C and best grown against a south-facing wall in temperate climates. In the UK, the shrub is often planted as a source of

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

for red admiral butterflies still on the wing in late autumn.Brookes, A. H. (2007). Winter flowering buddlejas. ''Plant Heritage: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Group, Spring 2007.'' Plant Heritage, UK. The plant features in the

NCCPG 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 b ...

National Collection of '' Buddleja'' held by the

Longstock Park Longstock Park is in the civil parish of Longstock in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England, and forms part of the Leckford Estate (1520 ha.), wholly owned by the John Lewis Partnership. Description Formerly Longstock Manor, of med ...

Nursery, near Stockbridge, although the large specimen there was killed during the winter of 2010–11, when temperatures fell to −12 °C. The shrub can be pruned lightly to maintain shape each year in spring after flowering. Propagation from cuttings can be difficult.Moore, P. (2012). ''Buddleja List 2011-2012 Longstock Park Nursery''. Longstock Park, UK. Hardiness: USDA zones 9–10.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2927514 auriculata Flora of South Africa Flora of Mozambique Flora of Zimbabwe Flora of Africa Afromontane flora