Cephalanthus occidentalis L. (buttonbush), leaves and fruit
3.78592
digital color photograph
Born digital
Photographic image
2005 – 2012
Cephalanthus occidentalis L. (buttonbush), shrub that is rounded 3-6' high (10-15' in certain areas) rather loose and gangly, fruit is a rounded mass of tiny two-seeded nutlets that persist through winter, flowers are tiny tubular 5-lobed fragrant white appearing in dense spherical long-stalked heads (to 1.5” diameter) in early to mid-summer, styles are long and projecting giving the flower heads a distinctively pincushion-like appearance, leaves are opposite or whorled deciduous to evergreen (in south of range) simple ovate to elliptic-lanceolate 2-6" long and about half as wide acuminate cuneate entire lustrous bright to dark green above lighter and glabrous or somewhat pubescent beneath, petiole is 1/4-3/4" long
