Other common names:
Common Buttonbush, Eastern Buttonbush, Honeyballs Family: Bedstraw Family (Rubiaceae) Distinctive features: Shrub; Wetland shrub. Distinctive globular flower and seed clusters. Flowers: Summer; White; 4 parts (petals); White, tiny, in a globular cluster. Leaves: Opposite/Whorled, Simple, Entire; Opposite or in whorls of three. Height:
3 m (9 ft) Fruit/Seeds:
Dark, in a globular cluster (resemble those of Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)). Habitat: Wet Areas; Wetlands. Will grow in other habitats if planted. Grows in Sun/Shade:
Sun Books: Newcomb's Wildflower Guide: 164 Shrubs of Ontario: 423 Native/Non-native:
Native Status:
Common in wetlands.
Notes:
Buttonbush is a swamp/marsh shrub. It likes to grow where there is water all or most of the year. Most people don't get to see this shrub because of this.
Origin and Meaning of Names:
Scientific Name: occidentalis: western For more information visit: Ontario Trees and Shrubs Photographs:
145 photographs available, of which 16 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.
Buttonbush flower head.
Close-up of the flower head. The individual flowers are about 1/3" long and have four petals. The protruding part is the style. In Ontario the flowers appear in July.
A fully opened flower head, with two heads just in bud beside it, of the same plant.
A whole shrub in flower.
The flower heads, now seed balls, persist through the winter. These are the "buttons" that give the shrub its name.
The inside of the seed balls.
A grove of Buttonbush in a marsh (or is this a "swamp" since it's covered by the shrub?), in June.
Closer view of the shrub, in June. Buttonbush ranges from 3-10 feet tall.
Buttonbush leaves are in opposite pairs or in whorls of three (see next photo). The only other Ontario tree/shrub that has leaves in whorls of three is the Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) tree.
Another picture of the leaves. They are usually about 3-6" long and egg-shaped, pointed at the tip.
Buttonbush leaves can also be very shiny.
The underside of the leaves.
What a "grove" of these shrubs looks like in winter.
It's real tough to get through a grove of these shrubs, winter or summer, as seen in this photo.
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