- Buddleja
Taxobox
name = "Buddleia"
image_width = 240px
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
ordo =Lamiales
familia =Scrophulariaceae
genus = "Buddleja"
genus_authority = L.
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = About 100 species, including: "Buddleja albiflora " "Buddleja alternifolia " - fountain butterfly bush "Buddleja americana " "Buddleja asiatica " "Buddleja auriculata " "Buddleja australis " "Buddleja bhutanica " "Buddleja candida " "Buddleja colvilei " "Buddleja crispa " "Buddleja crotonoides " "Buddleja curviflora " "Buddleja davidii " "Buddleja delavayi " "Buddleja fallowiana " "Buddleja forrestii " "Buddleja globosa " - golden globe butterfly bush "Buddleja indica " "Buddleja japonica " "Buddleja lindleyana " "Buddleja madagascariensis " "Buddleja marrubiifolia " "Buddleja myriantha " "Buddleja nivea " "Buddleja officinalis " "Buddleja paniculata " "Buddleja parviflora " "Buddleja pulchella " "Buddleja racemosa " "Buddleja saligna " "Buddleja salviifolia " "Buddleja scordioides " "Buddleja sessiliflora " "Buddleja tubiflora " "Buddleja utahensis " "Buddleja yunnanensis ""Buddleja", also often spelled "Buddleia", is a
genus of floweringplant s. It is now included in theScrophulariaceae , though in the past was previously classified in either theLoganiaceae or in a family of its own, the Buddlejaceae. The plant was named after the ReverendAdam Buddle who was abotanist and a rector in Essex,England .The roughly 100 species are mostly
shrub s, a few beingtree s; the largest species reach 30 m tall, but most species rarely exceed 5 m tall. Bothevergreen anddeciduous species occur. They are native throughout the warmer parts of theNew World from the southernUnited States south toChile , and widely in theOld World inAfrica and the warmer parts ofAsia , but absent as natives fromEurope andAustralasia . The species are divided into two groups based on their floral type, those in the New World being dioecious, and those in the Old World being monoecious.The leaves are lanceolate in most species, and arranged in opposite pairs on the stems (alternate in one species, "B. alternifolia"); they range from 1-30 cm long. The
flower s are produced in dense panicles 10-50 cm long; each individual flower is tubular, about 1 cm long, with the corolla divided into four spreading lobes (petals), about 3-4 mm across. Flower colour varies widely, with white, pink, red, purple, orange or yellow flowers produced by different species and cultivars; they are rich innectar and often strongly scented. Thefruit is a small capsule about 1 cm long and 1-2 mm diameter, containing numerous smallseed s; in a few species (previously classified in the separate genus "Nicodemia") the capsule is soft and fleshy, forming a berry.Cultivation and uses
Several species are popular garden plants, The species are commonly known as Butterfly Bush due to their attractiveness to
butterflies ; they are also attractive tobee s,moth s andladybird s. The species of buddleia with red flowers are also attractive tohummingbird s.The most popular cultivated species is "
Buddleja davidii " from centralChina , named after the French naturalist PèreArmand David . Other common garden species include "Buddleja globosa" from southernChile , grown for its stronglyhoney -scented orange globular flower-heads, and "Buddleja alternifolia" with lilac coloured flowers. Several interspecific hybrids can also be found, including "B. x weyeriana" (B. globosa x B. davidii).Some species are commonly found as escapees from the garden. "B. davidii" in particular is a great coloniser of dry open ground; in towns in Britain, it often self-sows on waste ground, where it grows into a dense thicket, and it is listed as an
invasive species in many areas. It is frequently seen besiderailway lines, on derelict factory sites and after the Second World War on urban bomb sites. It is not able to survive the harsh winters of northern continental climates, being killed by temperatures below about -15°C to -20°C.Nomenclature
The botanic name has been the source of some confusion. By the usual practice of
botanical Latin , the spelling of a genus name made from "Buddle" would be "Buddleia". However, Linnaeus wrote it down as "Buddleja", and never changed it, so by the rule of naming priority, "Buddleja" should be preferred, though the i/j interchange could be modernized as an orthographical variant. Even so, the usage is confused, and inconsistencies are common, even within single texts ( [http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/buda.htm] for example).References
*Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979) "The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species". H. Veenman & Zonen B. V., Wageningen, Netherlands.
See also
*
List of Lepidoptera that feed on Buddleja External links
* [http://www.chilebosque.cl/shrb/bglob.html "Buddleja globosa" pictures from "Chilebosque".]
* [http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/plantoftheweek/articles/Butterfly_Bush_Summer_Lilac.htm Reference to nomenclature issue]
* [http://landscaping.about.com/cs/forthebirds/p/butterfly_bush.htm Using Butterfly Bush in the Landscape]
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