Description: Shrubs, less often small trees, woody climbers or herbs; branches, lower surface of leaves and inflorescence usually with stellate, [scaly and/or glandular] hairs.
Leaves often thick and wrinkled, margins frequently toothed or crenate, base sometimes perfoliate; petiolate; stipules interpetiolar.
Inflorescence terminal and/or axillary thyrsoid, spike-like or globose; flowers 4-merous. Calyx campanulate or nearly so; lobes slightly longer to much shorter than the tube; with outer surface usually hairy. Corolla trumpet-shaped, [cup-shaped, campanulate or funnel-shaped], white to orange or to dark violet, or purple, often with an orange throat. Stamens inserted on corolla tube; anthers included or exserted, deeply lobed at base.
Fruit a capsule or berry; capsule 2-valved, septicidal; seeds many, often winged.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 90 species, tropical & subtropical America, Africa, Asia, New Guinea & New Caledonia. Australia: 6 species (naturalized), Qld, N.S.W., Vic., ?S.A., W.A.
A number of species are cultivated as ornamentals.
Text by B. J. Conn, key updated by Kerry L. Gibbons, from B.J. Conn, E. A. Brown, Flora of Australia Online [accessed 13 June 2023].
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Corolla tube short, up to 1.3 times as long as the lobes; stamens exserted | Buddleja dysophylla |
| Corolla tube at least twice as long as lobes; stamens included (or sometimes just exserted) | 2 |
| 2 | Leaves with petiole 15–25 mm long; flowers yellow, orange or salmon-coloured; anthers inserted just below corolla mouth, just included; fruit a berry | Buddleja madagascariensis |
| Leaves with petiole 2–5 mm long; flowers white to lilac-purple; anthers inserted at or below the middle of the corolla tube, included; fruit a capsule
Back to 1 | Buddleja davidii |
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