''Buddleja polystachya'' is a multi-branched shrub or occasionally small tree endemic to the semi-arid highlands flanking the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

and

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...

, where it grows in secondary scrub or around forest, often along watercourses, at elevations of between 2,200 and 3,600 m ; its range extends southward into the highlands of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

.Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979) ''The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species''. H. Veenman & Zonen, Wageningen, Nederland. Chaudhary, S. A. (2001). ''Flora of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia'', Part 2, Vol. 2. 1-4. Ministry of Agriculture and Water, National Agriculture Research Centre, Riyadh. The species was named by

Georg Fresenius Johann Baptist Georg Wolfgang Fresenius (25 September 1808 – 1 December 1866) was a German physician and botanist, known for his work in the field of phycology. He was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He studied medicine at the Universities o ...

in the early part of the 19th century.

Description

''Buddleja polystachya'' usually grows to < 5 m , but can occasionally reach 12 m in favourable conditions. The bark can be either red-brown or grey in colour. The flowers are generally bright orange, forming dense panicles < 20 cm long; however specimens found in Saudi Arabia bear flowers with yellow corollas, only the lobes are orange. The scent is reported to range from sweet to acrid. The leaves are < 15 cm long and narrow, with a pointed tip, the upper surface a pale grey-green. The fruit is a small dry orange capsule.

Cultivation

''Buddleja polystachya'' is not known in Europe or North America. The shrub can be easily propagated from seed and cuttings.Stuart, D. (2006). ''Buddlejas''. RHS Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon, USA. Hardiness:

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

zones 7–9.

Uses

The fruits are eaten raw, the leaves used as animal fodder. Buddleja polystachya

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4984706

polystachya ''Polystachya'', abbreviated Pol in horticultural trade, and commonly known as yellowspike orchid, is a flowering plant genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). This rather distinctive genus was described by William Jackson Hooker in 1824 and is ...

Flora of Africa Flora of Saudi Arabia Flora of Yemen Flora of Ethiopia