# Buddleja
**Buddleja** Houst. ex L. is a genus of flowering plants in the figwort family ([Scrophulariaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/scrophulariaceae)), order Lamiales, comprising woody shrubs and, less often, small trees known in horticulture as butterfly bushes or buddleias. The genus was first published by Linnaeus in *Species Plantarum* in 1753, and Plants of the World Online currently accepts 114 species native to tropical and subtropical America, northeastern to southern Africa, Madagascar, and Asia.[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1) The best-known member, *[Buddleja davidii](https://www.edgepedia.org/buddleja-davidii)*, is a widely planted garden shrub whose fragrant flower spikes attract butterflies, but it has also naturalized and become invasive in many temperate regions.[2](https://resources.ipmcenters.org/resource.cfm?action=download&rid=52946&vid=35334)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Buddleja* Houst. ex L., first published in Sp. Pl.: 112 (1753); *Buddleia* is an orthographic variant of the same name[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1) • [3](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=26473&mode=Info) |
| Classification | Family Scrophulariaceae, order Lamiales, tribe Buddlejeae[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1) • [3](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=26473&mode=Info) |
| Species count | 114 accepted species (POWO); other accounts give about 90 to about 140[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1) • [4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) |
| Native range | Tropical and subtropical America, northeastern to southern Africa, Madagascar, and Asia[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1) |
| Habit | Shrubs, less often trees or suffrutescent herbs, 0.25 to 30 m tall, usually with a white or pale gray indumentum of stellate hairs[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) |
| Flowers | 4-merous, actinomorphic; corolla white to orange, dark violet, or purple, often with an orange throat; fruit a septicidal 2-valved capsule (sometimes a berry) with many small seeds[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) |
| Common name | Butterfly bush, from the attractiveness of the fragrant flowers to butterflies[5](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/buddleja) |
## Naming and classification
The genus name honors the Reverend Adam Buddle, with the spelling *Buddleja* as published by Linnaeus; the form *Buddleia*, common in gardening literature, is an orthographic variant of the same name rather than a separate genus.[3](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=26473&mode=Info) Plants of the World Online lists eight heterotypic synonyms, including *Adenoplea* Radlk., *Chilianthus* Burch., *Emorya* Torr., and *Nicodemia* Ten., reflecting earlier, narrower circumscriptions that have since been merged.[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1)
The genus was placed in Scrophulariaceae as early as Jussieu in 1789, and the family Buddlejaceae, used in some twentieth-century treatments, is generally congruent with the tribe Buddlejeae.[6](https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A167285/FULLTEXT01) Modern molecular phylogenetics confirmed the tribe's placement in the Scrophulariaceae (Olmstead et al. 2001) and redefined Buddlejeae as a monogeneric tribe containing only *Buddleja*.[7](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/buddleja/) Chemical evidence supports this placement: the family's carboxylic iridoids, rather than the seco-iridoids characteristic of [Gentianales](https://www.edgepedia.org/gentianales), and its flavonoid chemistry indicate a scrophularian affinity.[8](https://bsi.gov.in/uploads/documents/Public_Information/publication/books/miscellaneous/Key%20Works%20to%20the%20Taxonomy%20of%20Flowering%20Plants%20of%20India%20vol%201.pdf)
## Distribution and species diversity
The genus has a disjunct natural distribution across the tropics and subtropics of both the Old and [New Worlds](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-worlds): the Americas from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, and South America; Africa from Eritrea and Ethiopia south to the Cape Provinces, plus [Madagascar](https://www.edgepedia.org/madagascar) and nearby islands; and Asia from Iran and the [Himalayas](https://www.edgepedia.org/himalayas) through China, Southeast Asia, and Malesia to Japan and New Guinea.[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1) Many species also grow far outside this range as garden escapes; the genus is recorded as introduced in western and central Europe, eastern North America, New Zealand, and elsewhere.[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1)
Estimates of species number differ among authorities. Plants of the World Online accepts 114 species,[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1) while the Flora of Somalia account gives about 140,[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) Trees of New Guinea about 90,[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) and the horticultural account at Trees and Shrubs Online approximately 110.[7](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/buddleja/) The differences reflect changing synonymy and the pace of new descriptions; recent revisions include a taxonomic treatment of the Brazilian species by Coelho and Miotto (2018).[7](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/buddleja/)
In [New Guinea](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-guinea) only two species occur: the widespread native *Buddleja asiatica* and the introduced garden plant *B. davidii*.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) *B. asiatica*, first published in 1790, is a shrub or tree native from central and southern China through tropical Asia to the Marianas, with 17 synonyms recorded.[9](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A545686-1)
## Morphology
Buddleja species are shrubs, less often trees or suffrutescent herbs, ranging from 0.25 to 30 m in height, mostly covered with a white or pale gray indumentum of stellate (star-shaped) hairs that dries rusty on the branchlets, leaf undersides, and inflorescences.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) Leaves are usually opposite and equal within a pair, occasionally alternate, and the lamina varies from circular to very narrowly elliptic, entire to dentate or even lobed.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information)
The flowers are 4-merous and actinomorphic, borne in terminal or axillary thyrsoid or paniculate inflorescences, sometimes reduced to a single globose head.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) The corolla is cup-shaped, campanulate, funnel- or salver-shaped, colored from white through orange to dark violet or purple, often with an orange throat, and bears stellate or glandular hairs outside.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) The ovary is superior and usually 2-celled, with several to many ovules on an axile placenta in each cell.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) The fruit is a bivalved, septicidal capsule, or sometimes a berry, and the seeds are small, obliquely fusiform or polyhedral, winged or not.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information) In the field, the genus is recognized by the thick, wrinkled, tomentose leaves, the stellate-haired inflorescences, and the dehiscent 2-valved fruit with many small seeds.[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information)
## Butterfly bush and pollination
*Buddleja davidii*, the butterfly bush, is a perennial, semi-deciduous shrub or small multi-stemmed tree that readily establishes on disturbed sites in temperate, subtropical, and tropical climates.[2](https://resources.ipmcenters.org/resource.cfm?action=download&rid=52946&vid=35334) Its flowers are typically purple or lilac with an orange nectar guide and a strong, pleasant scent, and they act as a magnet for butterflies including the peacock (*Aglais io*), the marbled white (*Melanargia galathea*), the monarch (*Danaus plexippus*), and the swallowtail (*Papilio machaon*).[10](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9478603/) The species is an obligate outcrosser, and the high attractiveness of its flowers to pollinators is believed to explain both its large native distribution and its invasive spread in non-native regions.[10](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9478603/) The species name commemorates Father David (Armand David), who collected specimens of Chinese flora and fauna and sent them to Adrien René Franchet at the Paris Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle.[2](https://resources.ipmcenters.org/resource.cfm?action=download&rid=52946&vid=35334)
**Invasive behavior.** Because it establishes readily on disturbed ground, *B. davidii* has naturalized widely outside its native China and Japan, and it is treated as invasive in parts of North America and Europe.[2](https://resources.ipmcenters.org/resource.cfm?action=download&rid=52946&vid=35334) • [11](https://extension.psu.edu/avoiding-invasives-butterfly-bush) Ecologically it is a shade-intolerant, short-lived pioneer species,[12](https://brit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2015_Thompson-Thompson_JBRIT.pdf) and studies of its impact on natural vegetation have found the effects to vary by region; one evaluation in North Carolina found little ecological impact, distribution expansion, or invasive potential there.[12](https://brit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2015_Thompson-Thompson_JBRIT.pdf) In European quarry ecosystems, a study under the Life in Quarries project examined how *B. davidii* invasion, across a gradient, affects plant species richness, floral resource availability, the richness of wild bees, syrphid flies, and butterflies, and the robustness of plant-pollinator networks.[13](https://orbi.umons.ac.be/handle/20.500.12907/54015) In the Alps, where it invades low-elevation areas, research on plant-pollinator networks has examined how its effect is mediated by honeybee abundance.[14](https://ecologie-paysages.sfecologie.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/BOOK-OF-ABSTRACT-IALE-WC-2019.pdf)
## Notable species
- *Buddleja asiatica* Lour., a shrub or tree of central and southern China through tropical Asia and the Marianas, growing primarily in subtropical or tropical biomes.[9](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A545686-1)
- *Buddleja officinalis* Maxim., a shrub native from Tibet to central and southern China and northern Indochina, growing mainly in the temperate biome; it is assessed as least concern on the IUCN Red List, and its Chinese common names include meng hua and mi meng hua.[15](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A545844-1/general-information)
- *Buddleja davidii* Franch., the butterfly bush, the most widely planted and most studied species in the genus.[2](https://resources.ipmcenters.org/resource.cfm?action=download&rid=52946&vid=35334)
- *Buddleja alternifolia* Maxim., the fountain butterflybush, and *Buddleja globosa*, the orange ball tree, are cultivated ornamentals listed in [Royal Horticultural Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-horticultural-society) pollinator plantings.[16](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?anchorLocation=SubordinateTaxa&credibilitySort=TWG+standards+met&print_version=SCR&rankName=Variety&search_topic=TSN&search_value=29912&source=from_print) • [17](https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/pdf/conservation-and-biodiversity/wildlife/rhs-perfect-for-pollinators-plants-of-the-world)
## Cultivation
Buddlejas are grown in gardens chiefly for their fragrant, nectar-rich flower spikes, which the Royal Horticultural Society describes as a favorite nectar source for butterflies.[5](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/buddleja) The RHS growing guide recommends choosing cultivars that have received the [Award of Garden Merit](https://www.edgepedia.org/award-of-garden-merit), which have been tested and perform well in average garden conditions, and notes that a few species can be trained as wall shrubs, including the winter-flowering, tender *B. madagascariensis* and *B. auriculata*.[18](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/buddleja/growing-guide) Cultivars of *B. davidii* span a wide size range, from tall forms to compact series such as the Buzz Series, described as a compact butterfly nectar plant reaching about 1.5 m.[19](https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/pdf/garden-solutions-urban-wildlife-planting.pdf) Because the shrub grows fast and can be weedy, gardeners in regions where it is invasive are advised to check with local extension services before planting.[20](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/fall-pollinator-magnets)
## References
1. [Buddleja Houst. ex L., Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1)
2. [Tallent-Halsell, N. & Watt, M.S. (2009). The Invasive Buddleja davidii (Butterfly Bush)](https://resources.ipmcenters.org/resource.cfm?action=download&rid=52946&vid=35334)
3. [NCBI Taxonomy Browser: Buddleja](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=26473&mode=Info)
4. [Buddleja Houst. ex L., general information, Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A25036-1/general-information)
5. [Buddleja (Butterfly bush), RHS Plant Guide](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/buddleja)
6. [The family Buddlejaceae, Uppsala University thesis](https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2%3A167285/FULLTEXT01)
7. [Buddleja, Trees and Shrubs Online (Large, A.T., 2021)](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/buddleja/)
8. [Key Works to the Taxonomy of Flowering Plants of India, Botanical Survey of India](https://bsi.gov.in/uploads/documents/Public_Information/publication/books/miscellaneous/Key%20Works%20to%20the%20Taxonomy%20of%20Flowering%20Plants%20of%20India%20vol%201.pdf)
9. [Buddleja asiatica Lour., Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A545686-1)
10. [The mystery of the butterfly bush Buddleja davidii: How are the butterflies attracted? (PMC)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9478603/)
11. [Avoiding Invasives: Butterfly Bush, Penn State Extension](https://extension.psu.edu/avoiding-invasives-butterfly-bush)
12. [Buddleja davidii (Scrophulariaceae) naturalized populations, Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas](https://brit.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2015_Thompson-Thompson_JBRIT.pdf)
13. [Plant invasion disrupts plant and pollinator communities in quarries, ORBi UMONS (2025)](https://orbi.umons.ac.be/handle/20.500.12907/54015)
14. [The effect of the invasive species Buddleja davidii on plant-pollinator networks, IALE World Congress abstracts (2019)](https://ecologie-paysages.sfecologie.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/BOOK-OF-ABSTRACT-IALE-WC-2019.pdf)
15. [Buddleja officinalis Maxim., Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A545844-1/general-information)
16. [ITIS Report: Buddleja](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?anchorLocation=SubordinateTaxa&credibilitySort=TWG+standards+met&print_version=SCR&rankName=Variety&search_topic=TSN&search_value=29912&source=from_print)
17. [RHS Plants for Pollinators: plants of the world](https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/pdf/conservation-and-biodiversity/wildlife/rhs-perfect-for-pollinators-plants-of-the-world)
18. [How to grow buddlejas, RHS Growing Guide](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/buddleja/growing-guide)
19. [The Garden, April 2016: Garden Solutions, urban wildlife planting, RHS](https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/pdf/garden-solutions-urban-wildlife-planting.pdf)
20. [Fall pollinator magnets, Gardening Know How](https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/beneficial/fall-pollinator-magnets)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Plants and algae › Seed plants › Other flowering plants › Asterids › Lamiid families › Olive, coffee, and borage families*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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