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Buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Found in streambanks, riverbanks, depressional wetlands, lakes, marshes, often in standing water. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

79
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 15 feet
Spread
4–8 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet

Space about 6 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 3 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
March to July
Fruiting season
Summer

Recorded in 65 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Georgia pond and emergent wetland
Regional / representative. Shown: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia; representative pond ecosystem, a neighboring state.Georgia pond and emergent wetland, Robert 'Bob' Hynes, 1997. Public domain. Source record.

Freshwater marshes

Georgia pond and emergent wetland
Regional / representative. Shown: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia; representative pond ecosystem, a neighboring state.Georgia pond and emergent wetland, Robert 'Bob' Hynes, 1997. Public domain. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 202 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Care

  • Keep the soil consistently moist to wet.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Cephalanthus

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Aellopos titanTitan Sphinx
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Cerma cerinthaTufted Bird-Dropping Moth, Cherry Agate
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Darapsa versicolorHydrangea Sphinx
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eudryas grataBeautiful Wood-Nymph
Show all 26
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Ledaea perditalisLost Owlet, 3-Stripe Cephalanthus caterpillar, Buttonbush Owlet
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Melanomma auricinctariaGold-Lined Melanomma
  • Mompha cephalonthiellaButtonbush Leafminer
  • Orgyia definitaDefinite Tussock Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papaipema furcataAsh-Tip Borer
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Xylophanes tersaTersa Sphinx
  • Mompha solomoni
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
23BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Cephalanthus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Cephalanthus

  • Aix sponsaWood Duck
  • Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Beetles 1
  • Trichius piger

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 9
  • Eristalis latifrons
  • Eristalis tenax
  • Musca domestica
  • Physocephala texana
  • Physocephala tibialis
  • Scepsis fulvicollis
  • Sphaerophoria cylindrica
  • Volucella evecta
  • Volucella vesiculosa

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 14
  • Anosia plexippus
  • Argynnis cybele
  • Atrytone delaware
  • Cercyonis alope
  • Limochores taumas
  • Papilio asterias
  • Phyciodes tharos
  • Pontia protodice
  • Thanaos juvenalis
  • Thorybes bathyllus
Show all 14
  • Vanessa atalanta
  • Vanessa cardui
  • Vanessa huntera
  • Zerene caesonia

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 2
  • Leionotus arvensis
  • Sphex nigricans

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rubiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5–9
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “March to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “White” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
  • Fruit ends · “Summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
  • Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 5–9” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
  • Height · “About 15 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Leaf retention · “Deciduous” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Full sun” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Soil · “wet to moderately wet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Soil pH · “Neutral” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Spread · “4–8 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources