Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

butterfly-bush Buddlejaceae Buddleja davidii Franch. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: BUDA2
Leaf: Opposite, simple, ovate to lance shaped, finely serrated, 3 to 8 inches long, dark green above, white-fuzzy below.
Flower: Narrow, upright spikes of deep purple (most common), pink, yellow or white flowers, each spike 3 to 8 inches long, individual flowers small with four petals, appearing mid-summer into the fall.
Fruit: Dry, two-valved capsules, 1/3 inch long, ripen in late summer and fall.
Twig: Moderately stout, very angled twigs, initially green and tomentose, later turning light brown and glabrous, large white pith, small buds.
Bark: Thin, brown, splitting and peeling.
Form: An upright, multi-stemmed shrub, reaching heights of 10 feet. In northern climates it will typically be killed back to the ground.

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Additional Range Information: Buddleja davidii is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material © 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information