Buddleja davidii
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
buddleia
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Detailed description
Deciduous (occasionally semi-evergreen) open, multi-stemmed shrub to 3+ m tall. Stems bluntly angled, clad in tufts of easily-removed soft woolly hair (tomentos when young), becoming lax when long. Leaves willow-shaped, 6-20 x 3-8 cm, thin, usually hairless above, white or grey tomentose below, finely toothed. Flowerhead a distinctive, dense, cone-shaped panicle 30 x 5 cm with many flowers; each 5 mm diam, fragrant, purple or white, orange inside, Dec- Feb. Seed capsule 5-10 mm long.
Similar taxa
Is very similar vegetatively to other Buddleja species, but can be easily separated by the distinctive cone-shaped flowerheads when flowering.
Habitat
Terrestrial. Occurs in Lowland sites with low-moderate fertility (Timmins & MacKenzie 1995). Colonises new, coarse-textured, nitrogen deficient surfaces (Smale 1990). Colonises stable habitats (Kay & Smale 1990). Thrives on free-draining pumice soils of the central north island (Mike Harre, pers comm.) Found in scrub and forest margins, cliffs, bluffs and riverbeds (Timmins & MacKenzie 1995). Colonises alluvial sites (Smale 1990).Very invasive of forest margins and revegetation areas (Porteus 1993). The plant is invasive of waste spaces, river beds and plantation forests especially following land disturbance i.e. forest harvesting (Golden Bay Gazette, 27/12/96).
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Buddlejaceae
Ecology
Flowering
December, January, February, March, April
Year naturalised
1946
Origin
China
Reason for introduction
Ornamental.
Tolerances
Highly tolerant to drought, intolerant to shade (Seedlings require high light)and slightly tolerant to poor drainage. Wide range of soil conditions (grows on almost raw lava in NZ), frost to -15 deg C (regenerates if cut down by frost). Regrows vigorously from cut stumps.
Life cycle
Perennial. The plant reproduces vegetatively through regeneration from suckers (Timmins & MacKenzie 1995). Can survive burial to 0.5m of fine alluvium by producing adventitious roots and shoots on buried or flattened stems (Smale 1990). Seed is produced in vast amounts (Smale 1990; Timmins & MacKenzie 1995). Approx 3 million on an average plant (Patterson, per comm.) Seed viability is initially high (Timmins & MacKenzie 1995). Seed is dispersed by wind and water (Smale 1990; Timmins & MacKenzie 1995).
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
BUDDAV