Cephalanthus occidentalis (Buttonbush)

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Cephalanthus occidentalis L.

Buttonbush, button-willow, honey-bells

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Gentianales	Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others
Family	Rubiaceae	Coffee, madder, and bedstraw family
Genus	Cephalanthus	From the Greek kephale, “head,” and anthos, “flower,” the flowers are borne in compact rounded heads like those of a chrysanthemum or dahlia
Species	occidentalis	From the west, western

About plant names...

This plant's cool-looking flowers fascinate me, and make for easy identification. Buttonbush is a North American native. It is found in wet areas such as lakeshores and habitats that are at least sometimes flooded, including swamps, river edges, and the Everglades.

Plants: This deciduous shrub is 3-9½′ (1-3 m) high, rarely reaching 20′ (6 m). with many dense branches.

Leaves: Glossy, dark green, opposite or in groups of three, and up to 8″ (20 cm) long. Flowers begin life as bumpy light green balls about ¾″ (2 cm) in diameter.

Flowers: Buttonbush flowers look so unusual at every stage of development, and are visible during so much of the summer, that this alone is usually enough to identify the plant. Minute horn-shaped white or pale yellow flowers cover the surface, extending tiny sepal-bearing pistils. The flowerheads look like perfectly spherical softly bristled cream-colored balls up to 1¼″ (3.5 cm) around, each on a long stem (petiole).

Fruits: As the flowers age, they form hard brown seed balls—clusters of achenes—that look like bumpy brown cherries.

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones This shrub is poisonous to livestock.

Online References:

Www.carolinanature.com

Plantdatabase.uconn.edu

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Missouri Botanical Garden

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Wikipedia

7/11/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

4/14/2015 · Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park, Florida · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

This flower is past its prime. · 7/30/2017 · Jason’s Cutoff and Nearby Trails, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

7/9/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

7/3/2012 · By Jacquelyn Boyt

7/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

Cephalanthus occidentalis L. var. californicus Benth.

Cephalanthus occidentalis L. var. pubescens Raf.

Cephalanthus occidentalis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 14 Sep 2023.

7/27/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm)

7/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)

9/11/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm)

4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 25 cm)

8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

10/23/2010

4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm)

7/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)

7/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)

Range:

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