Buddleja davidii var. veitchiana

Buddleja davidii var. veitchiana was collected in Hubei and introduced to cultivation by E. H. Wilson; it was named for the British nurseryman and horticulturist James Veitch by Rehder.[1][2] The taxonomy of the plant and the other five davidii varieties has been challenged in recent years. Leeuwenberg sank them all as synonyms, considering them to be within the natural variation of a species,[3] a treatment adopted in the Flora of China published in 1996.[4]

Buddleja davidii var. veitchiana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Buddleja
Species:
Variety:
B. d. var. veitchiana
Trinomial name
Buddleja davidii var. veitchiana
Rehder

Var. veitchiana was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's First Class Certificate (FCC) in 1902.[5]

Description edit

Buddleja davidii var. veitchiana is chiefly distinguished by its dense panicles of lavender-blue flowers with orange eyes. The plant is otherwise like the type.[2]

Cultivation edit

Now rare in cultivation, a specimen is still grown in the UK, at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey; another is held by the University of Copenhagen's Botanic Garden.[6] The shrub does not appear to remain in commerce in the UK, and was last listed in the RHS Plantfinder in 2010.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ Bean, W. J. (1950). Trees and shrubs hardy in Great Britain, 7th edition. Murray, London.
  2. ^ a b Stuart, D. D. (2006). Buddlejas. RHS Plant Collector Guide. Timber Press, Oregon. ISBN 978-0-88192-688-0
  3. ^ Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. (1979). The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II. Revision of the African and Asiatic species. Mededelingen Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen, Nederland
  4. ^ Li, P-T. & Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1996). Loganiaceae, in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) Flora of China, Vol. 15, p. 335. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA. ISBN 978-0915279371 online at www.efloras.org
  5. ^ Hillier & Sons. (1990). Hillier's Manual of Trees & Shrubs, 5th ed.. p. 47. David & Charles, Newton Abbot. ISBN 0-7153-67447
  6. ^ "Multisite search page". websites.rbge.org.uk.
  7. ^ "Find advice & tips on garden & indoor plants | Plant finder & selector / RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk.