Buddleja japonica
| Buddleja japonica | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Scrophulariaceae |
| Genus: | Buddleja |
| Species: | B. japonica
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| Binomial name | |
| Buddleja japonica | |
| Synonyms | |
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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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- 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[edit]
- ^ Phillips, R., & Rix, M. (1989). Shrubs. p. 211. Pan Books Ltd., London. ISBN 0-330-30258-2
- ^ a b Stuart, D. (2006). Buddlejas. RHS Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon, USA. ISBN 978-0-88192-688-0
- ^ a b 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.