Wednesday's Wildflower: Buttonbush
Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis Submitted by Jean Evoy, a 30-year veteran of FNPS. She has been active in several chapters including Miami-Dade, Serenoa, and Mangrove. Dorantes skipper on buttonbush by Jean Evoy Every spring I anxiously await the first sign of buttonbush blossoms. Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis , thrives in swamps, sloughs, marshes and along the edges of ponds and lakes throughout most of North American and the West Indies. Even though the flower heads don’t look anything like modern buttons, their pincushion-like structures make buttonbush an interesting and attractive addition to our Florida landscape. Buttonbush by Jean Evoy Buttonbush is an understory shrub, or small tree with arching branches. It has attractive reddish-brown bark and opposite or whorled leaves. The intriguing globular inflorescences contain numerous bisexual, sessile, white flowers. The fragrant flowers are 4-lobed, with 4 united sepals, 4 stamens and a ...