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I purchased seed from a reputable supplier that was labelled as buttonbush or Cephalanthus occidentalis. One seed germinated and managed to grow two inches tall in the first two years. I then planted it in a tiny pocket of soil with access to water. Five years later this plant is now almost 15' tall (5 m) and flowering. The species is described as having " hard spherical ball-like fruits". The plant I have has elongated flowering bodies.

I wonder what exactly I have growing...it's taller, the flower is different but it sure likes water. Alternate leaves, deciduous, not a willow, pollinators like it for early spring bloom.

Here is a picture of a buttonbush from Ontario trees

Buttonbush.

Other pictures and descriptions of the species can be found here and here.

Here is what is growing in my backyard. What is it? closeup enter image description here cephalanthus?

kevinskio
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    Looks like you have a cherry – J. Musser Dec 11 '16 at 04:57
  • Those catkins - are they present now and are they the first you've seen? It looks like its deciduous, is it? Reminiscent of Goat Willow (Salix caprea) but too late for catkins... – Bamboo Dec 11 '16 at 12:50
  • @Bamboo. It is deciduous, they are not catkins but this the first year it "flowered" or whatever they are. I have a clethra in the same area. The flowers are different and it doesn't get this tall – kevinskio Dec 11 '16 at 13:34
  • What is your location @kevinsky? – Viv Dec 12 '16 at 05:16
  • @Viv Ottawa, Canada in USDA zone 4, thanks! – kevinskio Dec 12 '16 at 10:50
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    I agree with @J. Musser. It's a cherry eh? Try chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). – Brenn Dec 18 '16 at 13:20
  • @Brenn The flowers are superficially similar but it does not fruit. The flowers become dry husks – kevinskio Dec 18 '16 at 16:08
  • Would failure to set fruit negate the possibility of it being a Prunus @kevinsky? Not sure what you mean. – Brenn Dec 18 '16 at 19:41
  • @Brenn it is not likely to be a cherry as the leaves are not glossy and the lenticels which are so characteristic of cherries are not obvious and is does not set fruit. At 15 feet tall and mature enough to flower but the end result is a dry ball makes a cherry unlikely in my opinion – kevinskio Dec 19 '16 at 00:22
  • Interesting! If it were from anyone else , I would stand strong in my suggestion. But I know that you know your stuff. Lemme think... – Brenn Dec 19 '16 at 00:25
  • What does the wood smell like? – J. Musser Dec 19 '16 at 16:37
  • @ J. Musser. It is -25 deg c now so there's no smell now or during the growing season – kevinskio Dec 19 '16 at 16:51
  • It looks a bit like an elderberry bush. Maybe it's related to one. They do need a pollinator to get fruit. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Dec 21 '16 at 01:29
  • It may be in the olive/lilac family. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Dec 21 '16 at 01:39
  • @Shule what would be the identifying characteristics of an elderberrry or a lilac? – kevinskio Dec 21 '16 at 10:53
  • Well, I don't think it's a lilac, but I do think it's possibly in the same family. The flowers are clustered similarly, and curl similarly, and it reminds me somewhat of an olive, by the leaves (olives are in that family). It looks a lot like an elderberry bush, with the leaf shape, growth habit, and clustered flowers, except the leaves and flowers of this seem to be smaller than I'm used to. Elderberry bushes do grow very fast and get rather tall. They also grow a lot of new shoots from the ground in spring (I'd like to know if this does that much), but can survive without loads of water. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Dec 22 '16 at 09:24
  • I'm not an expert on their characteristics. It's just a thought that came to mind. It also reminded me of a willow of some kind, but I was less keen on suggesting that. I don't think it's a cherry or anything in the prunus genus (and likely not in the rose family), but I could be wrong. However, there are loads of ornamental cherries that aren't grown for fruit (and I believe they don't normally set fruit). They normally have lots of flowers each year. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Dec 22 '16 at 09:37
  • @eric-nitardy could this be a sub species of buttonbush? – kevinskio Jun 03 '20 at 01:13

2 Answers2

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Well, its not Cephalanthus occidentalis! I'll take a stab - one of the Clethras, maybe? Clethra alnifolia or Clethra delayavi; they love lots of water, but the flowers don't look decorative enough, unless the ones in the picture are going over. Growth rate seems a little fast too, and as a bush it looks a little lean and 'staring'... like it needs a hard prune!

Bamboo
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  • It's big enough I put Christmas lights on it. A little tall for a clethra... – kevinskio Dec 11 '16 at 13:35
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    Probably looks better with lights on it than it does without! – Bamboo Dec 11 '16 at 15:38
  • I vote Clethra, too. Kevinsky, what a rip! You are going to go back and SAY something to those who sold you the wrong seed, yes? I'll bet this is on the North side of the house? The lack of light might be determining the height. I've never seen one this tall, but I've seen other shrubs such as Buddleia get this tall quickly when in a lower light situation. – stormy Dec 19 '16 at 22:04
  • It is not a clethra. I have one growing in the same south location and they do not get more than. 1 or 2 M tall. This plant is well over 4 m, going on 5 M (15 feet) – kevinskio Dec 26 '16 at 00:03
  • I say its an ordinary willow- looks identical to one in our old garden- flowers got everywhere! – olantigh Apr 30 '17 at 15:50
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Keep a close eye on the flowers. Willows are dioecious, Cephalanthus are not. See if the flower parts are male or female.

Polypipe Wrangler
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  • Hi, the flowers are in the last picture and all appear to be the same. The fruit is an open nut like thing that is quite unique to buttonbushes – kevinskio Jun 01 '20 at 11:35