Common Name: Buttonbush
Latin Name: Cephalanthus occidentalis
Family: Rubiaceae
Habit: A deciduous shrub that grows to 12 feet in height.
Leaves: Opposite, ovate to elliptic in shape with entire margins.
Flowers: The white, globe shaped, flowers appear in the spring and summer.
Habitat: Buttonbush occurs naturally in marshes, swamps, pond margins, cypress heads, lake banks, river banks, and wet ditches.
Landscape: It grows in part shade to full sun with moist to wet soils. Buttonbush needs moist to wet soils and will not survive in dry soil.
Wildlife use: Bees and butterflies use the flowers as a nectar source. Songbirds and waterfowl eat the seeds.