Identifying and managing Butterfly-bush aka Buddleja

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Scientific name: Buddleja davidii

Perennial shrub in the Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae)

Long-lived (perennial), polycarpic (flowers many times) competitive dominant.

Above and below ground rootstock rapidly produces woody branched growth above ground (can grow up to 2m per year). Deep (up to 4m) or shallow rooting.

How does Butterfly-bush grow and spread?

• Reaches up to 5m tall in full growth.
• Butterfly-bush spreads by root stock extension and grafting of individuals, vegetative (asexual, clonal) dispersal via fragments of plant material (stems, stumps and root fragments) created by human activities (e.g. roads and railways) and natural disturbance processes (e.g. flooding).
• Butterfly-bush or Buddleja is much more invasive and widely distributed than both Orange-ball-tree and Weyer’s (hybrid) Butterfly-bush, though these species are also spreading in certain areas of the UK.

Where does Butterfly-bush grow?

Common habitats where Butter-fly bush is found include:

• Garden plantings
• Walls
• Roadsides
• Railway embankments and cuttings
• Waste ground and spoil-tips
• Quarries
• Rivers and other watercourses (riparian habitats)
• Scrubland
• Woodlands