''Buddleja colvilei'' is endemic to the eastern Himalaya; discovered by

Hooker Hooker may refer to: People * Hooker (surname) Places Antarctica * Mount Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (Antarctica) * Cape Hooker (South Shetland Islands) New Zealand * Hooker River * Mount Hooker (New Zealand) in the Southern Alps * Hoo ...

in 1849, he declared it 'the handsomest of all Himalayan shrubs.' Bean, W. J. (1914). ''Trees and shrubs hardy in the British Isles''. 7th Ed. 1950, Vol. 1, p. 320. In 1896 the species was awarded the RHS First Class Certificate (FCC),Hillier & Sons. (1990). ''Hillier's Manual of Trees & Shrubs, 5th ed.''. p. 47. David & Charles, Newton Abbot. given to plants 'of outstanding excellence for exhibition'.Royal Horticultural Society, (2005). ''RHS Plant Finder 2005-2006'', Dorling Kindersley.

Description

''B. colvilei'' is a deciduous large shrub or small tree which can grow > 13 m, often single stemmed. The flowers are arranged in drooping panicles, 15–20 cm long by > 8 cm wide, rose pink to crimson, but often white within 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 ...

tube. The flowers are among the largest of any in the genus, and appear in June. The leaves are < 25 cm long, narrow, shallowly - toothed, and tapered at either end. This species has a high degree of polyploidy with a correspondingly high chromosome number of 2''n'' = 152–456 (8''x''–24''x'').Chen, G, Sun, W-B, & Sun, H. (2007). Ploidy variation in Buddleja L. (Buddlejaceae) in the Sino - Himalayan region and its biogeographical implications. ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.'' 2007, 154, 305 – 312. The Linnean Society of London.

Cultivation

The shrub is not entirely hardy in the UK, and can only be reliably grown outdoors along the Atlantic coast. Hardiness: United States Department of Agriculture zones 8–9.Stuart, D. D. (2006). ''Buddlejas''. RHS Plant Guide. Timber Press, Oregon.

Cultivars

* ''Buddleja colvilei'' 'Kewensis', distinguished by its dark red flowers.

References

*Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979) ''The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species''. H. Veenman & Zonen, Wageningen, Nederland. *Phillips, R. & Rix, M. (1989). ''Shrubs'', Pan Books, London. *Li, P. T. & Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1996). Loganiaceae, in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) ''Flora of China'', Vol. 15. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA.
online at www.efloras.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4984439 colvilei Flora of East Himalaya Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker