Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tender Perennial
Origin
South Africa
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
7480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-11-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
-
Sunset Zone
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
-
Habit
Upright/Erect
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
365.76 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
182.88 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Ivory
-
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Growth Rate
Medium
-
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Average
-
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
-
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Pruning
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Trim each shoot back to the first set of leaves
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Variety of soil types
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
-
-
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
-
-
Fragrant Bark/Stem
-
-
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic, Tonic
-
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Inner Bark, Root, Wood
-
Other Uses
Used for woodware
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
-
Botanical Name
BERZELIA lanuginosa
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Buttonbush
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
Buttonbush shrub
Earth Star
In German
Button Strauch
Erdstern
In French
buttonbush arbuste
Terre étoile
In Spanish
arbusto buttonbush
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
Buttonbush θάμνος
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
arbusto Buttonbush
Estrela da terra
In Polish
Buttonbush krzew
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
Frutex Buttonbush
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Rubiales
Bromeliales
Family
Bruniaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Cephalanthus
Cryptanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
1250
1
27800
👆🏻