{"id":1715,"date":"2026-10-29T18:25:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T18:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/nursery-ipm\/?page_id=1715"},"modified":"2026-10-30T22:02:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T22:02:30","slug":"buttonbush","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/nursery-ipm\/buttonbush\/","title":{"rendered":"Buttonbush"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><b>Buttonbush<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4><strong><em>Cephalanthus occidentalis<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h5>Family: <i>Rubiaceae<\/i><\/h5>\n<h5>Phonetic spelling: <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sef-ah-LAN-thus ock-sih-den-TAH-liss<\/span><\/h5>\n<h6>By Talia Gould<\/h6>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1715 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/nursery-ipm\/buttonbush\/screen-shot-2026-10-22-at-12-32-33-pm\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1013\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/nursery-ipm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1396\/2026\/10\/Screen-Shot-2026-10-22-at-12.32.33-PM.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Buttonbush stem and flowers\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/nursery-ipm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1396\/2026\/10\/Screen-Shot-2026-10-22-at-12.32.33-PM.png 1013w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/nursery-ipm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1396\/2026\/10\/Screen-Shot-2026-10-22-at-12.32.33-PM-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/nursery-ipm\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1396\/2026\/10\/Screen-Shot-2026-10-22-at-12.32.33-PM-768x514.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h4><strong>Description:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Buttonbush is a wetland deciduous, perennial shrub native to eastern and southern North America, Central America and Cuba. Normally a small shrub up to 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide, button bush can grow as a tree up to 20 feet. It can be used for wetland restoration, riparian zones, and created wetlands. Naturally, it is found from Florida to Mexico and north to Nova Scotia, best adapted for shorelines and swamps in full sunlight. It features flowers in fragrant dense, round clusters that bloom June to September with reddish-brown fruits that persist into winter. Buttonbush has significant ecological benefits attracting many types of pollinators, mammals, and songbirds along with providing erosion control and drainage on wet sites. It is moderately resistant to deer and provides food for various species.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Buttonbush is adaptable to many soil types except dry ones, preferring moist to wet soils in full to partial sun. It is tolerant to heat and soil compaction but flowering is poor in shade and dry soils. It is ideal for a rain or water garden, surrounding a pond or stream, or a pollinator or native garden.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Plant Details<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Growing Conditions: <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">USA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Sun Exposure: <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Full sun to partial shade.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Moisture Requirements: Requires consistently wet soil and does good in wet, swampy or near aquatic environments.<\/li>\n<li>Soil Preferences: Acidic (&lt;6.0).<\/li>\n<li>Soil Texture: Clay, Loam, Sand, Organic, Shallow rocky.<\/li>\n<li>Soil Moisture: Standing water, moist to wet.<\/li>\n<li>Pruning &amp; Maintenance: Buttonbush can be fertilized with slow release fertilizer to enhance flowering and seed production. Controlling competition during the first growing season is a challenge: Remove any existing vegetation within a 2 foot diameter where the seedling has been planted.<\/li>\n<li>Bloom Time: Summer.<\/li>\n<li>Recommended Propagation Strategy: Seed, stem cutting.<\/li>\n<li>Straight Species Size: 6&#8242;-8&#8242; tall x 6&#8242;-8&#8242; wide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ecological Services:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Food Source: Songbirds and waterfowl eat seeds. The plant provides nectar to pollinators.<\/li>\n<li>Beneficial Insects &amp; Birds: Hummingbirds, songbirds.\n<ul>\n<li>Butterflies\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eastern Tiger Swallowtails<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Monarchs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Painted Ladies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fritillaries<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Moths\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Titan Sphinx moth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydrangea spinx<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Royal walnut moth<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Larval Host: <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Larval host to around 20-25 species of butterflies and moths.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Titan sphinx moth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydrangea sphinx moth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Royal walnut moth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Promethea silkmoth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beautiful wood nymph<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Definite tussock moth<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><strong>Insects, Diseases or Problems: <\/strong><\/strong>No serious insect pests or major diseases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis Family: Rubiaceae Phonetic spelling: sef-ah-LAN-thus ock-sih-den-TAH-liss By Talia Gould Description: Buttonbush is a wetland deciduous, perennial shrub native to eastern and southern North America, Central America and &hellip; 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