Eastern Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Plant Type
- Shrub (Deciduous)
- Landscape Layer
- Shrub
- Sun
- ☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun
- Moisture
- 💧 Regular, 💧💧 High, 💧💧💧 Wet
- Soil
- Clay, Loam, Sand, Silt, Organic / Peat, Calcareous
- Bloom
- June, July, August
- Sociability
- S2 – Small groups
Pollinator Value
- 🐛 Larval Host
- Orgyia definita, Callosamia promethea, Hyalophora cecropia, Orgyia leucostigma, Catocala connubialis, Ledaea perditalis, Papaipema furcata, Melanomma auricinctaria, Darapsa versicolor, Cerma cerintha, Harrisimemna trisignata, Estigmene acrea
- ❄️ Winter Food Source
- Seeds persist through fall and winter in spherical nutlet clusters. Wood Duck consumes seeds (1.77% diet by weight), and Common Gallinule feeds on seeds (29% occurrence in diet studies). Ducks and shorebirds in the southeastern US eat seeds during winter.
S57 Wood Duck, Common Gallinule; S10 ducks eat seeds in southeastern US during winter; S11 Fruit/Seed Persistence=Yes
Ecology & Conservation
- Proximity Score
- 0
- Native Status
- ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
- Closest Direction
- Local
- CEC Eco-Regions
- 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
- Rarity Notes
- Ranked S3 (Vulnerable) in Quebec, reflecting limited occurrence primarily in southern lowland wetlands. Secure (S5) in Ontario and globally (G5). Not SARA-listed. Quebec populations are concentrated along the Ottawa River corridor and St. Lawrence lowlands. The species reaches its northern range limit in southern Quebec.
S22 S3 QC, S5 ON, G5 global; S26 not SARA-listed; S54 QC specimens from Ottawa River corridor and southern QC
- Rarity Ranks
- QC S3 – Vulnerable, ON S5 – Secure
- Migration
- Stable
- Ecological Context
- Obligate wetland shrub of swamps, pond margins, floodplain forests, and slow-moving stream edges. In the Ottawa-Gatineau region it is uncommon, found in standing water or deep muck along rivers and lakes. Forms thickets in seasonally flooded areas. Associated with Salix nigra, Quercus bicolor, and emergent marsh communities.
S63 Uncommon Ottawa-Hull; S7 hardwood swamps, wet thickets, standing water; S10 floodplain forests, marshes, bogs; S48 Deschenes, Lac Aylmer specimens
Permaculture & Companion Planting
- Roles
- Fire Retardant, Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = Medium (not definitional)] | Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
- Notes
- Excellent for rain gardens, shoreline stabilization, and constructed wetlands. Its dense branching and tolerance of standing water make it a strong anchor species in wet guild plantings. Fragrant flowers are a powerful pollinator attractor in mid-summer when few other wetland shrubs bloom. Deer resistant, making it suitable as a fortress/barrier element in exposed sites.
S3 rain garden, shoreline rehab; S64 pollinator attractor; S4 deer resistant; S10 can form extensive colonies
Medicinal Properties ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
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ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →- Category
- Febrifuge, Emetic, Astringent, Tonic, Analgesic, Antidiarrheal, Laxative, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic
- Notes
- Widely used by Indigenous peoples including Choctaw, Seminole, Kiowa, Meskwaki, and Chickasaw. Bark tea used as febrifuge, emetic, and tonic. Strong decoctions treated dysentery and diarrhea. Inner bark chewed for toothache. Root and fruit decoctions served as laxatives. Leaves used for rheumatism and fevers. Folk reputation for treating malaria.
S28 26 Moerman use records across 7 tribes; S29 bark tea astringent, emetic, febrifuge, tonic
Edibility & Foraging ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
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ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →❌ Not Edible
- Foraging Notes
- No edible uses documented. PFAF rates edibility at 0 of 5. USDA lists as not palatable to humans. The foliage is reported as poisonous to livestock.
S29 Edibility Rating 0/5; S11 Palatable Human=No; S4 poisonous foliage unpalatable to livestock
- Toxicity
-
⚠️ Moderate Toxicity
Not listed in Cornell poisonous plants database. USDA rates toxicity as None. However, PFAF notes leaves contain glucosides that can be toxic in large doses, with symptoms including vomiting, convulsions, chronic spasms, and muscular paralysis. LBJ Wildflower Center notes poisonous foliage is unpalatable to livestock. Mammalian herbivores generally avoid consumption.
S38 not listed; S11 Toxicity=None; S29 leaves contain glucosides; S4 poisonous foliage unpalatable to livestock; S10 poisonous to mammalian herbivores
Seed Source
- OWSL
- Master Gardener