Florida Forest Trees

Buttonbush  (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Buttonbush is abundant in low lands, sometimes becoming large thickets. It can be a bothersome plant for landowners near or in wetlands. It has a wide range, extending from southeastern Canada and Minnesota through the eastern U.S. to Texas and Cuba, Several varieties also occur in the Southwest and Mexico. This wide range reflects the capacity of buttonbush to tolerate a variety of environmental conditions.

It is not commercially valuable, but buttonbush does make a nice ornamental because of its attractive flowers. 		 

Leaves and flowers

On low-lying pasturelands, buttonbush can be harmful because its foliage is poisonous to cattle. Many birds and other wildlife use the dense thickets of buttonbush for cover and nesting. Ducks and songbirds enjoy the nutlets of the round clusters of maroon-colored fruit.

Buttonbush is easily recognized by its simple, opposite leaf arrangement and its cottonball-like flower heads occurring in clusters of two or more. The many tiny flowers bloom throughout the summer.

 Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:
 Buttonbush can be thickets of shrubs or small trees that reaches heights 25' to 35' tall.
Leaves:
 The leaves are simple, oppositely arranged, and deciduous. The leaves are 4" to 7" long and 2" to 3 ½" wide. They are elliptically shaped, papery thin, slightly hairy underneath, and have smooth margins. The leaf base is rounded or wedged and the leaf tip is short- to long- tapering.
Flowers:
  The fragrant white flowers are borne in ball-shaped clusters, 1" to 1½" in
diameter.
Fruit:
 The fruit are tiny dark red-brown achenes in spherical clusters that measure ¾" in diameter.
Bark:
 The gray-brown bark is smooth.
Habitat:
 Buttonbush grows in wetlands around the borders of swamps, ponds, and rivers.


Photos
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Leaf and fruit
Flowers

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