Common Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
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This shrub usually grows up to 6 feet tall and has long (3 to 4 inches) ovate leaves which are shiny darkish green on the upper surface. Tiny white tubular flowers are gathered into spherical balls which give the shrub its name. After the seeds disperse, the seed cases remain on the shrub until winter. Buttonbush is a favorite nesting site of red-winged blackbirds at our wetlands.

There are three old buttonbush trees in the area which are 20 feet or more high.

Seeds
Tree