Buddleja curviflora

Buddleja curviflora is a deciduous shrub native to southern Japan and Taiwan, where it grows in thickets on stony slopes at elevations of 100-300 m. B. curviflora was named and described Hooker and Arnott Walker-Arnott|Arnott] in 1838. Plants in Taiwan have been described as a separate species Buddleja formosana and assessed as Critically Endangered by IUCN, but the distinction is not recognized by Li and Anthonius [Josephus Maria Leeuwenberg|Leeuwenberg], who sank formosana as a synonym.

Description

Buddleja curviflora grows to < 2 m in height in the wild, its branches subquadrangular in section, and glabrescent. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate to ovate, 5-15 cm long by 2-6 cm wide, the upper surface glabrous, the underside almost glaucous. The purple flowers are borne on slender, terminal, one-sided panicles 5-15 cm long; flowering occurs in June and July. Ploidy 2n = 38.

Cultivation

The shrub is rare in cultivation. In the UK, specimens are grown at the Royal [Botanic Garden Edinburgh], the Royal Horticultural Society garden at Wisley, and at Longstock Park Nursery, NCCPG national collection holder, near Stockbridge, Hampshire. Hardiness: United [States Department of Agriculture|USDA] zones 8-9.