Buddleja japonica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Buddleja
Species:
B. japonica
Binomial name
Buddleja japonica
Synonyms
  • Buddleja curviflora hort. ex. Carr. In error

Buddleja japonica is a deciduous shrub native to Honshu and Shikoku, Japan, where it grows on mountain slopes amid scrub.[1] The shrub was named and described by Hemsley in 1889, and introduced to Western cultivation in 1896.[2]

Description

Buddleja japonica grows to < 1.5 m in height in the wild, open in habit and sparsely branched. The branches are tetragonous and winged. The leaves are narrowly lanceolate, < 20 cm long by < 5 cm wide, the upper surface dark green and glabrous, the underside tawny felted. The flowers form dense, drooping terminal panicles < 20 cm long, usually pale lilac in colour, from July to October. Overall, the species is considered of little horticultural merit and is also comparatively short-lived.[3] Ploidy: 2n = 38.[4]

Cultivation

In the UK a specimen is grown as part of the NCCPG national buddleja collection at Longstock Park Nursery, near Stockbridge, Hampshire. Hardiness: USDA zones 8–9.[2]

Varieties

  • Buddleja japonica var. insignis (Carr.) E. H. Wilson. A plant with a denser habit and more brightly coloured flowers.[3] In the absence of any living specimens or preserved material, the plant was considered probably a hybrid of B. japonica and B. lindleyana by Leeuwenberg[5]

References

  1. ↑ Phillips, R., & Rix, M. (1989). Shrubs. p. 211. Pan Books Ltd., London. ISBN 0-330-30258-2
  2. 1 2 Stuart, D. (2006). Buddlejas. RHS Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon, USA. ISBN 978-0-88192-688-0
  3. 1 2 Bean, W. J. (1914). Trees and shrubs hardy in the British Isles, Vol. 1. p. 323. 7th Ed. 1950. Murray, London.
  4. ↑ Chen, G, Sun, W-B, & Sun, H. (2007). Ploidy variation in Buddleja L. (Buddlejaceae) in the Sino - Himalayan region and its biogeographical implications. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 2007, 154, 305 – 312. The Linnean Society of London.
  5. ↑ Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979). The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species. H. Veenman & Zonen, Wageningen, Nederland.
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