Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

The Buttonbush is a deciduous shrub that does well next to wet areas and can handle full sun to light shade. It gets its name from the one to one and a half inch round clusters of small flowers that resemble pin cushions. The shrub usually grows from 3-15 feet tall, leaves appear in late spring, and flowers in late summer. Butterflies are attracted to the ball-shaped flowers. This is a great shrub for naturalizing wet areas, such as swamps or borders of lakes, streams, or ponds.