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California Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
  
About California Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) 20 Nurseries Carry This Plant Cephalanthus occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that is native to the Central Valley in California, and to eastern and southern North America. Common names include Buttonbush, Common Buttonbush, Button-willow and Honey-bells. C. occidentalis is a deciduous shrub or small tree that averages 1-3 meter (3.3-9.8 feet) in height, but can reach 6 meter (20 feet). The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three, elliptic to ovate, 7-18 centimeter (2.8-7.1 inches) long and 4-10 meter (13-33 feet) broad, with a smooth edge and a short petiole. The flowers are arranged in a dense spherical flower cluster 2-3.5 centimeter (0.79-1.4 inches) in diameter on a short peduncle. Each flower has a fused white to pale yellow four-lobed corolla forming a long slender tube connecting to the sepals. The stigma protrudes slightly from the corolla. The fruit is a spherical cluster of achenes (nutlets).

This plant is easy to grow as long as it's planted near a stream or water source. Often used in wetland revegation project in the Central Valley.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
3 - 20 ft tall
3 - 15 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
White, Cream

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Waterfowl eat seeds, native bees attracted to flowers

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Keep moist

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10 - 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a wide variety of soils and drainage types. Soil PH: 6 - 8

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Edges of lakes and streams

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 6.0" - 66.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.13" - 1.80", Coldest Month: 34.9" - 51.7", Hottest Month: 60.0" - 78.5", Humidity: 1.05" - 27.52", Elevation: -12" - 7967"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Cephalanthus occidentalis var. californicus
Common Names: Common Buttonbush


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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