Buddleja asiatica

Buddleja asiatica
Buddleja asiatica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Buddlejaceae
Genus:	Buddleja
Species:	B. asiatica
Binomial name
Buddleja asiatica Lour.
Synonyms
Buddleja acuminatissima Blume Buddleja amentacea Kränzl. Buddleja arfakensis Kan. et Hat. Buddleja asiatica var. salicina (Lam.) Koorders & Valeton Buddleja asiatica var. breviscupe Koorders Buddleja densiflora Blume Buddleja discolor Roth. Buddleja neemda Buch.-Ham. ex. Roxb.M Buddleja neemda var. phillipensis Cham. et Schlecht. Buddleja nimda Buch.-Ham. ex. Roem et Schult. Buddleja salicina Lam. Buddleja serrulata Roth. Buddleja subserrata D. Don. Buddleja sundaica Blume Buddleja virgata Blanco (in error) Vitex esquirolii Lévl.

Buddleja asiatica is a tender deciduous shrub endemic to a vast area of the East Indies, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Taiwan, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, New Guinea, and the Philippines, growing in open woodland at elevations < 2,800 m either as understorey scrub, or as a small tree.^[1] First described by Loureiro in 1790, B. asiatica was introduced to the UK in 1874, and accorded the RHS Award of Garden Merit (record 675) in 1993.^[2]

Given the huge range of the species, it has inevitably acquired a long list of synonyms.^[3]

Description

B. asiatica can grow < 7 m tall in the wild. The leaves are usually narrowly lanceolate to ovoid, < 30 cm long, attached by petioles 15 mm long, to branches round in section. The sweetly scented flowers are usually white, occasionally pale violet, and borne in late winter at the ends of the long, lax branches in slender panicles, the size of which can vary widely according to source.^[1] Ploidy: 2n = 38 (diploid).^[4]

Cultivation

B. asiatica is not hardy in the UK, but can be grown reliably against a south-facing wall in coastal areas of the south and west. A specimen is grown under glass by Longstock Park Nursery, near Stockbridge, Hampshire, one of the four NCCPG national collection holders. Hardiness: RHS 2 (tender), USDA zones 9–10.^[1]

Uses

In Nepal leaves of B. asiatica are collected as fodder for domesticated animals, and the trunk is cut for firewood. During Thangmi wedding rituals, the female relatives of the groom wear necklaces made of the white flower.^[5]

References

1. Stuart, D. (2006). Buddlejas. Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon, USA. ISBN 978-0-88192-688-0
2. Hillier Nurseries (1977). Hilliers' Manual of Trees & Shrubs. David & Charles, Newton Abbot. ISBN 0-7153-6744-7
3. Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979) The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species. H. Veenman & Zonen, Wageningen, Nederland.
4. 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.
5. Turin, Mark. "ETHNOBOTANICAL NOTES ON THANGMI PLANT NAMES AND THEIR MEDICINAL AND RITUAL USES" (PDF). www.digitalhimalaya.com. http://www.digitalhimalaya.com. Retrieved 17 November 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)

• 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. ISBN 978-0915279371 online at www.efloras.org