Buddleja japonica
| Buddleja japonica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Buddlejaceae |
| Genus: | Buddleja |
| Species: | B. japonica |
| Binomial name | |
| Buddleja japonica Hemsley | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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
B. 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
- B. 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
- ↑ Phillips, R., & Rix, M. (1989). Shrubs. p. 211. Pan Books Ltd., London. ISBN 0-330-30258-2
- 1 2 Stuart, D. (2006). Buddlejas. RHS Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon, USA. ISBN 978-0-88192-688-0
- 1 2 Bean, W. J. (1914). Trees and shrubs hardy in the British Isles, Vol. 1. p. 323. 7th Ed. 1950. Murray, London.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1979). The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II, Revision of the African & Asiatic species. H. Veenman & Zonen, Wageningen, Nederland.