Description
Buddleja madagascariensis [Syn. B. heterophylla, Nicodemia madagascariensis, Adenoplea madagascariensis] | Madagascar Butterfly Bush
Madagascar Butterfly Bush, also commonly called Smoke Bush, is a fast-growing, straggling or climbing shrub endemic to Madagascar that has elongated, narrowly ovate green and white leaves, velvety white stems, and highly-aromatic orange flower panicles. It outperforms most plants in warmer temperatures in subtropical and tropical regions, particularly with habitats where water and well-drained soil is available. It can grow in disturbed sites, roadsides, waste areas, urban open spaces, riparian zones, forest margins, sand dunes, coastal cliffs, and in ornamental gardens.
If you need a privacy screen or to block an unsightly view in a hurry, this beauty is for you. Within a 3-year period a plant can reach 15′ high and 8′ wide. It can be pruned to form a dense hedge or allowed to branch naturally, forming a rounded arching shape shrub. The beautiful sage green leaves flutter in the breeze revealing the fuzzy white underside of the leaves, which must be where the name ‘Smoke Bush’ comes from.
The flowers are orange to yellow-orange and bloom in late winter and early spring. The fragrance is complex and potent to say the least– most people describe it as gym socks, while others say peppery truffle oil or cat pee, while some don’t pick up much aroma at all. To me, its a strong gym socks or halitosis aroma, yet has an appealing sweetness to it, too, and its so curious and unusual that I have to go back for more. In late winter, being one of the first plants to flower, the aroma is always welcome because it is reminiscent of spring and signals that shes near.
Not hardy in many temperate regions, this plant is best grown in a glasshouse, conservatory or against a warm, south-facing wall where it will be protected. When temps dip below 25 F the plant may start to die back to the roots, but will make a strong come back in the spring. Root-hardy to at least 20 F.
Being a dioecious shrub, Madagascar Butterfly Bush requires both sexes to make seed, so this male plant will not set seed in your garden, unless of course you already have a female Buddleja madagascariensis plant on your property. Because it does not set seed, it will put more energy into the flowers.
Plants can be harvested from the wild for use in traditional medicine and as a dye.
We are one of the only online retailers in the US to offer this plant.
Type: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Mature height: 12-15 ft
Mature width: 5-8 ft
Hardiness zones: 9-11
UNROOTED CUTTINGS:
- Price is for three cuttings (3)
- Each cutting is 4-9 inches long. May be single top or multi-top.
- Guaranteed to be green, healthy, and alive. Plus pest and pathogen free.
- Guaranteed to be true-to-name.
- Packages are shipped out on Mondays and Tuesdays ONLY.
- If it’s believed the plants are not alive and healthy when you receive them you must let us know any concerns you have within 24 hours of arrival. If we do not hear any concerns within 24 hours it will be assumed that everything arrived in good standing. We cannot be held responsible for mishaps, errors, mistakes, or bad luck after this time frame.
ROOTING INSTRUCTIONS:
How to prepare cuttings to root via rooting cubes inside a humidity dome.
- Upon arrival, give cuttings a new fresh cut on the bottom of the stem. Then set in a cup of water for a minimum of 15 minutes.
- After soaking, gently cut or scrape small marks into the bottom portion of the plant stem (½ inch) with scissors or a razor blade.
- Dip the scarred end of the stem into rooting gel or rooting powder (gel is superior). This can be done without rooting gel, but results are not as good.
- Insert the plant stem into a rooting cube (Oasis cubes, grow plugs, soil-cubes, rock-wool cubes, etc) and place into a nursery tray with a humidity dome over the top. One cutting per cube. Custom individual humidity domes can be made using plastic cups and/or plastic cling wrap.
- After the first 3-5 days, the humidity dome should be opened up or set ajar to slowly allow more air in as the plants start to root. At this point, the cubes should be allowed to become mostly dry before adding any more water.
- Once 2-3 roots grow out of the bottom of the root-cube, the plant can be transplanted into soil.
- More detailed rooting instructions will accompany your order.
*Please note: We cannot ship Buddelja madagascariensis to Hawaii at this time. Checkout is disabled for this product in this state.
