

(underside)

Winter twig

Buddleia
+ peacock butterfly

Buddleia
+ painted lady butterfly

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The leaves are opposite,
10-25 cm long, and on very short stalks. They are dark green above and
white hairy below with a finely toothed margin.
ID
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Buddleia is a
deciduous shrub up to 5 m in
height with widely spreading branches. It was introduced to gardens
at the end of the 19th century and now is widely naturalised,
especially on railway banks and waste ground.
Long, dense spikes
of small 4-5 petalled, highly scented flowers, appear at the end of
branches from June onwards.
Most flowers are
lavender or purple, but they can vary in colour from white through
pink to mauve.
Flowers develop
into narrow pods which stay on the bush most of the winter.
Facts
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The nectar at
the bottom of the tubular flowers
attracts many butterflies and day-flying moths including painted
lady, peacock and red admiral.
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The name Buddleia
commemorates a botanist Adam Buddle, an early 18th century clergyman
born in Lincolnshire.
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It is a native
of west and central China introduced to Britain in about 1890.
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