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7 min read Plants & Place

Common Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Common Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Common Buttonbush, also known as Honeybells or Honeyballs, is a distinctive perennial Native Texas shrub that thrives in wetlands across the United States. Its unique, globe-like creamy white flowers bloom from June through September and attract many pollinators.

Known for its adaptability, Buttonbush can flourish in diverse wet environments—from riverbanks to pond edges—making it a versatile addition to water-centric sites in your landscape. I planted Buttonbush off our A/C condensation drip, which has proved, this year, to be quite successful.

The Buttonbush's versatility and visual appeal make it a compelling addition to any Texas native landscape looking to attract wildlife–birds, bees, and butterflies.

Quick Facts

Distribution – Where is Common Buttonbush Native?

Source: iNaturalist | Accessed September 9th, 2024

Native to a broad range of the United States, Common Buttonbush thrives from the humid marshes of Texas to the swampy regions of Florida and the waterways of California.

It prospers naturally along rivers, in wetlands, and beside ponds. Although it has a preference for moist environments, with sufficient watering, Buttonbush is remarkably adaptable and can flourish in diverse landscape settings beyond its typical aquatic habitats.

Source: iNaturalist | Accessed September 9th, 2024

In Texas, of course, while the Buttonbush is rather common, it's most common in the state of Central Texas – Eastwards, given the quantity of precipitation and moisture the plant prefers.

Buttonbush in bloom.

Benefits of the Buttonbush

For Your Landscape

Buttonbush leaves: a glossy dark-green soft to the touch.

For Wildlife

Planting & Care

Location: Where is the best place to plant Common Buttonbush?

Buttonbush is adaptable, but the key is that you can ensure it flourishes, and your maintenance (mostly supplemental watering) is kept to a minimum, to think about where it will passively receive consistent water.

My A/C condensation line watering my Buttonbush.

Here are my specific recommendations for planting Buttonbush in your landscape based on my experiences and research:

🗒️
A friend of mine, Drake White, owner of The Nectar Bar, a San Antonio area Texas-native plant nursery, recommended I give the Buttonbush "a year" before it will look anything but sad.
With more complimentary plantings, the Buttonbush will offer a good screen for the A/C unit.

Care & Maintenance

Buttonbush requires minimal care once established in a location with suitable moisture:

Companion Plants

Buttonbush pairs well with other moisture-loving Texas native plants:

Seasons: What to Expect

Spring: New growth begins as Buttonbush starts to leaf out.

Summer: Buttonbush enters its peak blooming phase from June to September, attracting an abundance of pollinators with its abundant flowers. This is when the shrub truly shines, displaying its peak ornamental value.

Fall: As the season transitions, the flowers give way to nutlets, which will continue through the winter, providing a valuable food source for birds. The foliage may begin to diminish, but the plant maintains a presence in the landscape.

Winter: As a deciduous plant, the Buttonbush loses its leaves, leaving behind the stark, yet interesting structure of its branches. Late winter is the perfect time for pruning to shape the plant and prepare it for the next growing season.

Medicinal/Edible

The Buttonbush doesn't have any known edible or medicinal value (for humans) to the best of my current knowledge and research, however, it's worth noting the leaves of Buttonbush are poisonous and don't usually tempt livestock, making it a safe ornamental choice around farms without worrying about curious nibblers.

Three 1 gallon Buttonbush plants from semi-hardwood cuttings in one year.

Propagation

Common Buttonbush can be propagated through several methods, each with specific considerations:

Sources

Along with my own experience working with Common Buttonbush in my landscape and observing its behavior in natural places across Texas, here are all the books and resources that I consulted in producing this page:

Additionally, helpful information was also derived from the following websites: