Cephalanthus occidentalis

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Cephalanthus occidentalis
Cephalanthus occidentalis var. occidentalis blooming in Point Pelee National Park (Ontario, Canada).

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Cephalanthus
Species:
C. occidentalis
Binomial name
Cephalanthus occidentalis
L., 1753[2]
Varieties

C. o. var. californicus
C. o. var. occidentalis

Natural range of Cephalanthus occidentalis[3]

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae that is native to eastern and southern North America. Common names include buttonbush, common buttonbush, button-willow, buck brush, and honey-bells.

Description

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a

corolla forming a long slender tube connecting to the sepals. The stigma protrudes slightly from the corolla. The fruit is a spherical cluster of achenes (nutlets).[4]

Taxonomy

There are two

varieties
, not considered distinct by all authorities:

Habitat

Buttonbush is a common shrub of many wetland habitats in its range, including swamps, floodplains, mangrove, pocosin, riparian zones, and moist forest understory.[5] It is a member of the flora in the Everglades.[5]

Ecology

titan sphinx.[9]

Distribution

In East Texas

The species occurs in eastern North America with disjunct populations occurring in the west. In Canada, it occurs from southern Ontario and Quebec east to New Brunswick and south-western Nova Scotia. Besides the eastern United States, and eastern regions of the Midwest, notable areas range into Arizona, the Mogollon Rim, and other mountain ranges; in California, the entire San Joaquin Valley[10] West of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, only western Texas, Arizona, and California find C. occidentalis.

Uses

Medicinal

Cephalanthus occidentalis has a number of historical

medicinal uses, but it is also toxic due to the presence of cephalanthin.[5][8]

Cultivation

Buttonbush is cultivated as an

native plant landscapes, and is planted on slopes to help control erosion.[11]
Buttonbush is a suitable shrub for butterfly gardens.

San Joaquin Valley landmark tree

The Buttonwillow Tree in Buttonwillow, California

The town of

Yokuts as a meeting place. It later became the site of settlers' stock rodeos. This buttonbush tree is listed as California Historical Landmark No. 492, and is now known as the "Buttonwillow Tree".[12]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64310261A67729125.en
    . Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Cephalanthus occidentalis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  3. ^ "Cephalanthus occidentalis" (PDF). Digital Representations of Tree Species Range Maps from "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr. (and other publications). United States Geological Survey.
  4. ^ "Cephalanthus occidentalis L. buttonbush" (PDF). Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions. United States Forest Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  5. ^ a b c d "Cephalanthus occidentalis". Fire Effects Information System. United States Forest Service.
  6. ISBN 0-394-50432-1
    .
  7. ISBN 0-394-50760-6
    .
  8. ^ a b "Common Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis L." (PDF). Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Guide. United States Department of Agriculture.
  9. ^ The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
  10. OCLC 4053799
    .
  11. ISBN 978-1-58017-571-5
    .
  12. ^ "CHL # 492 Buttonwillow Tree Kern". www.californiahistoricallandmarks.com.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cephalanthus occidentalis.
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