Buddleja americana

Buddleja americana
Buddleja americana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Buddlejaceae
Genus:	Buddleja
Species:	B. americana
Binomial name
Buddleja americana L.
Synonyms
Buddleja callicarpoides Kunth Buddleja cana Willd. Buddleja dentata Kunth Buddleja floribunda Kunth Buddleja occidentalis L. Buddleja spicata Ruíz & Pav. Buddleja verbascifolia Kunth Buddleja americana var. albiflora M.Gómez Buddleja americana var. rothschulii Loes. [1]

Buddleja americana is the most widespread of all the Buddleja species native to the Americas, its range extending south from Tamaulipas, Mexico, through Central America and much of the West Indies into South America, reaching eastward to Venezuela, westward as far as the Galapagos, and south to Bolivia. It occurs at elevations from sea level to 2500 m, in a variety of habitats, including cloud forest, mountain savanna, pine - oak forest, and rocky slopes near rivers. It also invades fields and roadsides.^[2]

The species was originally named and described by Linnaeus in 1753. ^[3]

Description

B. americana is a trioecious shrub, 2–5 m tall with light brown fissured bark. The young branches are subquadrangular, and tomentose, bearing leaves which vary greatly in size, shape and indumentum. The inflorescences are 5–25 cm long, with one or two orders of branches. The flowers are borne in cymules, the short (< 2.5 mm) corollas yellow inside and white outside. As with the other American species of Buddleja, B. americana is tetraploid (2n = 76).^[2]

Cultivation

The species is not cold hardy, and quickly killed by temperatures only marginally below freezing.^[2] Hardiness: USDA zone 9. ^[4]

References

1. Synonyms: Tropicos
2. Norman, E. M. (2000). Buddlejaceae. Flora Neotropica 81, New York Botanical Garden, USA
3. Linnaeus, C. (1753). Sp. pl. 112. 1753.
4. Stuart, D. (2006). Buddlejas. Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon, USA. ISBN 978-0-88192-688-0