Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Grass
Origin
South Africa
Middle Africa
Types
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Perennial Grass
Number of Varieties
715
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
Floodplains, Forest margins, Tropical regions, waterways, Wet lands, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-117-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12 - 1
Sunset Zone
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
365.76 cm120.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
182.88 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Ivory
Sandy Brown
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Purple
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Purple
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
Cold climate, Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Budding, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
Requires regular watering, Water more in summer
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full 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
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Nitrogen, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Insects, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Cold climate, Drought, Salt
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Birds, Flying insects
Allergy
Toxic
Asthma, breathing problems
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Amazing growth rate, Food for animals, Food for insects, Prevent Soil Erosion, Shelter for wildlife, Wildlife, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic, Tonic
Eye Problems, Headache, Skin Disorders, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Inner Bark, Root, Wood
Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Used for woodware
Food for animals, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
BERZELIA lanuginosa
PENNISETUM purpureum 'Prince'
Common Name
Buttonbush
Elephant Grass
In Hindi
Buttonbush shrub
हाथी घास
In German
Button Strauch
Elefantengras
In French
buttonbush arbuste
l'herbe à éléphant
In Spanish
arbusto buttonbush
pasto elefante
In Greek
Buttonbush θάμνος
ελέφαντα χόρτο
In Portuguese
arbusto Buttonbush
capim-elefante
In Polish
Buttonbush krzew
trawa słoniowa
In Latin
Frutex Buttonbush
elephanti herba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Rubiales
Poales
Family
Bruniaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Cephalanthus
Pennisetum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Paniceae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
121
1
27800
👆🏻