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ORANGE-BALL-TREE

Buddleja globosa

Figwort Family [Scrophulariaceae]  
Formerly in: Buddleja Family [Buddlejaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug

category
category8Shrubs
category
category8Semievergreen
category
category8Broadleaf
status
statusZneophyte
flower
flower8orange
inner
inner8green
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ4
type
typeZglobed
type
typeZclustered
stem
stem8round

20th June 2008, Peel Harbour, Isle of Man. Photo: © RWD
A large shrub which grows exhuberantly.


20th June 2008, Peel Harbour, Isle of Man. Photo: © RWD
Full of golf-ball-sized globular orange flowers.


20th June 2008, Peel Harbour, Isle of Man. Photo: © RWD
the flowers grow at the ends of long stalks. Stalks are in opposing pairs up the branch.


20th June 2008, Peel Harbour, Isle of Man. Photo: © RWD
Some stalks grow 'through' the globular flowers.


4th July 2010, London. Photo: © Philip Draper
Each globe is covered in a few dozen closely-packed orange tubular flowers radiating from a central (unseen) centre. Not the runted flower un-developed by the end of the season (top right).


4th July 2010, London. Photo: © Philip Draper
Each tubular flower ends in four short stubby petals.


17th June 2014, Silverdale, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
Many inwardly directed orange hairs partially impede access to the deeper recesses of the flower. There is a green ovary. The petals have a thick and waxy look and feel.


20th June 2008, Peel Harbour, Isle of Man. Photo: © RWD
The leaves are mid-green, large, very wrinkley and lanceolate in shape.


4th July 2010, London. Photo: © Philip Draper
The underside of the leaves is a much lighter green, almost white.


4th July 2010, London. Photo: © Philip Draper


Hybridizes with: Butterfly-Bush producing Weyer's Butterfly-Bush (buddleja × weyeriana), a Butterfly-Bush type plant with orange-coloured flowers that are not as compactly spherical as are those of the Orange-Ball-Tree. A possible photo of this hybrid can be found near the end of the Butterfly-Bush page.

Some similarities to : Strawberry Tree [which has similar globular-shaped orangey-red flowers].

Slight similarity to: some orange-coloured garden varieties of Butterfly-Bush can look vaguely similar, but usually have a less-compact and sloppily-formed larger rounded heads.

Distinguishing Feature : The compact orange spherical flower-heads containing numerous waxy-looking flowers.

This plant is more likely to be found growing in peoples gardens, but as shown here in Peel it is growing on the south-facing grassy slopes above Peel Harbour.


  Buddleja globosa  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Scrophulariaceae  

Distribution
family8Figwort family8Scrophulariaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8buddleja
Buddleja
(Butterfly-bushes)

ORANGE-BALL-TREE

Buddleja globosa

Figwort Family [Scrophulariaceae]  
Formerly in: Buddleja Family [Buddlejaceae]

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