Buddleja davidii

<strong>Buddleja</strong> <strong>davidii</strong><br />

<strong>Buddleja</strong> <strong>davidii</strong><br />

Butterfly bush<br />

Introduction<br />

The genus <strong>Buddleja</strong> includes 100 species<br />

occurring from tropical to temperate<br />

regions of the Americas, Africa and<br />

Asia [86] . Twenty-nine species and 4<br />

varieties occur in most provinces of<br />

China except Xinjiang and those of<br />

northeastern China.<br />

Species of <strong>Buddleja</strong> in China<br />

†<br />

Not included or accepted as hybrid in revised Flora of China [88] ellipsoid, 2–4 mm in length and about<br />

Leaves and flowers of <strong>Buddleja</strong> <strong>davidii</strong>.<br />

Scientific Name<br />

Scientific Name<br />

(Photo by Richard A. Casagrande, University<br />

of Rhode Island.)<br />

B. adenantha Diels B. hastata Prain ex Marq. †<br />

B. alata Rehd. & Wilson † B. heliophila W. W. Smith †<br />

becoming glabrous, with 9-14 lateral<br />

B. albiflora Hemsl. B. limitallea W. W. Smith † veins. Ovate or semicircular, and<br />

occasionally caducous, two stipules<br />

B. alternifolia Maxim. † B. lindleyana Fortune<br />

may be present between the leafstalks,<br />

B. asiatica Lour. B. macrostachya Wall. ex Benth. which are 1-5 mm long. Flowering<br />

from May to October, the inflorescence<br />

B. brachystachya Diels B. madagascariensis Lamk.<br />

occurs terminally as a raceme or in a<br />

B. candida Dunn B. myriantha Diels<br />

panicle-like cyme arrangement, 4-30<br />

B. caryopteridifolia W. W. Smith † B. nivea Duthie<br />

cm long and 2-5 mm wide. The calyx<br />

is bell-shaped and 2-3 mm long. Each<br />

B. colvilei Hook.f. & Thoms. B. officinalis Maxim.<br />

lobe is membranous and triangular. The<br />

B. crispa Benth. B. paniculata Wall.<br />

fragrant corollas are 7.5-14 mm long,<br />

B. curviflora Hook. & Arn. B. purdomii W. W. Smith †<br />

light violet, then yellowish white to<br />

white, with an orange-yellow throat<br />

B. <strong>davidii</strong> Franch. B. taliensis W. W. Smith †<br />

and suborbicular lobes. The fruit is a<br />

B. delavayi Gagnep. B. wardii Marq. †<br />

capsule, which is narrowly ellipsoid<br />

B. fallowiana Balf. f. & W.W. Smith B. yunnanensis Gagnep. †<br />

to narrowly ovoid, 5–9 mm long<br />

and 1.5–2 mm wide, appearing from<br />

B. forrestii Diels<br />

September to December. Seeds are<br />

Taxonomy<br />

Family: Loganiaceae<br />

Genus: <strong>Buddleja</strong> L.<br />

Description<br />

B. <strong>davidii</strong> is a shrub 1-5 m in height.<br />

The branches are somewhat drooping.<br />

Most parts of the plant are covered with<br />

white stellate hairs. Opposite leaves are<br />

membranous or thin papery, narrowly<br />

ovate, narrowly elliptic to ovate-lance<br />

shaped, 1-20 cm long and 0.3-7.5 cm<br />

wide, with serrate margin, acuminate<br />

apex, and base obtuse to broadly cuneate.<br />

The upper leaf surface is hair-covered<br />

38 — Invasive Plants of Asian Origin Established in the US and Their Natural Enemies

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0.5 mm in diameter, with long wings<br />

at both ends [88][86] .<br />

Habitat<br />

B. <strong>davidii</strong> occurs in thickets on hillsides<br />

and trenches, at elevations of 800-3,000<br />

m [86] .<br />

Distribution<br />

B. <strong>davidii</strong> occurs in Anhui, Gansu,<br />

Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu,<br />

Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan,<br />

Zhejiang, and possibly Guangdong<br />

[26][31][50][88][86][156][162]<br />

.<br />

Economic Importance<br />

The entire plant is used medicinally.<br />

Fragrant essential oils can be extracted<br />

from the flower. It is also grown as an<br />

ornamental plant for its graceful flowers<br />

and down-swept twigs [86] .<br />

<strong>Buddleja</strong> <strong>davidii</strong><br />

Natural Enemies of <strong>Buddleja</strong><br />

Three fungi and thirteen arthropods are<br />

reported for <strong>Buddleja</strong> speceis. One fungal<br />

species, Pseudocercospora buddleiae,<br />

is reported to infect B. <strong>davidii</strong>.<br />

Fungi<br />

Phylum Family Species H. R. Ref.<br />

Ascomycota Meliolaceae Irenina buddlejae Hansf. oo 23<br />

Anamorphic Mycosphaerella<br />

Pseudocercospora buddleiae (W. Yamam.) Goh &<br />

W.H. Hsieh<br />

oo 23 †<br />

o 110<br />

Septoria merrillii Syd. mo 23<br />

†<br />

Recorded as Cercospora buddlejae Yamam<br />

Arthropods<br />

Order Family Species H. R. Ref.<br />

Coleoptera<br />

Homoptera<br />

Chrysomelidae<br />

Pseudococcidae<br />

Hemipyxis lusca (Fabricius) po 185<br />

Hemipyxis plagioderoides (Motschulsky)<br />

po 65<br />

po 158<br />

Hemipyxis tonkinensis (Chen) po 185<br />

Hespera bipilosa Chen et Wang oo 140<br />

Hespera univestis Chen et Wang oo 140<br />

p 65<br />

Stenoluperus nipponensis (Laboissiere)<br />

po 140<br />

po 158<br />

Trachyaphthona bidentata Chen et Wang<br />

oo 140<br />

oo 185<br />

Trachyaphthona buddlejae Wang po 185<br />

Trachyaphthona cyanea (Chen)<br />

oo 140<br />

po 185<br />

Trachyaphthona fulva Wang oo 140<br />

Pedronia planococcoides Borchsenius po 150<br />

Planococcus sinensis Borchsenius po 150<br />

Thysanoptera Thripidae Dendrothrips stannardi (Ananthakrishnan) po 56<br />

Invasive Plants of Asian Origin Established in the US and Their Natural Enemies — 39