Buddleja salviifolia
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Buddleja aurantiacomaculata
- Lantana salviifolia
- Phonetic Spelling
- BUD-lee-uh sal-vee-eye-FOH-lee-uh
- Description
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Sageleaf butterfly bush is a large, broadleaf evergreen shrub or multi-stemmed small tree grown for its foliage and its attractive semi-weeping habit. It is native to Tanzania to South Africa and is found on rocky hillsides, in forests, or along river banks. This plant is fast growing and can reach up to 12 to 26 feet tall and equally as wide. Its leaves are dark green and wrinkled, and its flowers are small white to lilac blooms that are arranged in cone-shaped panicles. It is a member of the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). The specific epithet, salviifolia, is derived from its leaf appearance that resembles those of the Salvia family that is commonly known as sage. .
This South African species needs well-drained soil in full sun with shelter from cold winds. It is winter hardy in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8 to11. It is very hardy and may remain evergreen through mild winters but should be protected from frost the first year after planting. It flowers on previous year's wood, so prune right after flowering. The shrub can become tall and sprawling; therefore, pruning is essential to maintain its shape. It propagates easily from softwood stem cuttings.
The sageleaf butterfly leaves are dark green, velvety smooth to wrinkled and puckered on the upper surface, and the undersides have tiny white or brownish hairs. The leaves are narrow with pointed tips, and prominent veins. The individual flowers are small, tubular, and white to lilac with a tiny orange throat. They are arranged in panicles that can measure from 5 inches long to 3 inches wide. The fragrant blooms appear in mass from May to July.
It can be planted as a windbreak, in a mixed shrub border, in a pollinator or sensory garden, or naturalized area of the landscape. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators are attracted to its fragrant flowers.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Exhibits no serious insect or disease problems.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Buddleja
- Species:
- salviifolia
- Family:
- Scrophulariaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The roots and leaves are used in some native medicinal practices. Fresh and dried leaves make an aromatic herbal tea. The roots can be used to produce a substance that is used for cough and colic. The leaves are used to form a type of eye lotion. The wood is used for fishing rods, knife handles, and gunstocks. Medical research is being done to determine the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant value of this plant.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southwest Tanzania to South Africa
- Distribution:
- Native: Angola, Cape Provinces, Eswatini, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe Introduced: New Zealand North, New Zealand South
- Wildlife Value:
- Nectar from flowers attracts butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. The leaves are eaten by wild game such as antelopes.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Colorful
- Easy to Grow
- Fragrance
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wind Break
- Dimensions:
- Height: 12 ft. 0 in. - 26 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 12 ft. 0 in. - 26 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Multi-stemmed
- Spreading
- Weeping
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is a small, ellipsoid, hairy capsule with a persistent calyx. The tiny seeds are medium brown and winged at the edges.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- White to Iliac blooms are arranged in cone-shaped panicles 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. Each tiny bloom is tubular and 4 petaled with a tiny orange throat. The flowers are not as showy as other Buddleja's, but masses of cone-shaped panicles appear from May to July.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Smooth
- Soft
- Velvety
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Denticulate
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The foliage is dark green with a wrinkled, rough appearance above and dense white to grey hair below, reminiscent of the herb sage. The leaves are long and fairly narrow, ovate to oblong with a pointed tip and measure 1.5 to 6.5 inches long by 0.5 to 2 inches wide. The leaf surface can be smooth and velvety to rough and wrinkled The leaf may be either sessile or have a short petiole.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Bark Description:
- The bark is grayish-brown and stringy. It may also be reddish-brown and rough with thin darker strips running more or less lengthwise.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- White
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- The stems have white to rusty colored tomentose or wooly hairs. Young stems are covered with white fuzz.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Garden for the Blind
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Heat
- Salt
- Wind
- Problems:
- Messy
