Button Bush

Cephalanthus occidentalis L.
(sef-a-LAN-thus ok-si-den-TA-lis)

General:

Buttonbush is a small tree or shrub 3-6 m. (9-18 ft.) tall. It is a good landscape plant for wet areas where its unique, white, ball-shaped flowers attract both bees and butterflies. This plant is related to Fire Bush (Hamelia patens), another native plant favored by butterflies and hummingbirds. It may be pruned every few years to maintain a manageable size.
In folk medicine, a root ‘tea’ is gargled for sore throat and colds. Tender leaves were boiled with sea myrtle (Baccharis) to relieve whooping cough. Flowering branches were boiled and the decoction was used as a foot bath to cure ‘ground itch.’

The name Cephalanthus means "Head of anthers". In Latin ‘occidere’ means ‘sunset.’

Flowers/Fruit:

Tiny white flowers form a spherical head about 2-4 cm. (1-1½ in.) in diameter. The pendant ‘balls’ of flowers with long pistils sticking out all over look something like white pincushions. The flowers are quite fragrant.

It has nut-like seeds that form in reddish brown spherical clusters

Leaves/Stems:

Opposite or in whorls of three or four, the leaves of buttonbush are lanceolate to elliptic, from 7-18 cm. (3-7 in.) long with conspicuous veins and short red petioles. They are deciduous except when winters are very warm.

Distribution:

It is found in very wet areas throughout the state, except the Keys. It is also found to Texas, California, the West Indies and Mexico.