Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Shrub
Grass
Origin
South Africa
Africa
Types
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Pennisetum glaucum
Number of Varieties
77
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-118-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
365.76 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
182.88 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Ivory
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Brown, Cream
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
-
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
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
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Deer resistant, Drought
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Aphids, Bees, Birds
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Informal Hedge, Mixed Border, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
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
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Other Uses
Used for woodware
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
BERZELIA lanuginosa
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
Common Name
Buttonbush
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
Buttonbush shrub
purple millet
In German
Button Strauch
purple millet
In French
buttonbush arbuste
millet pourpre
In Spanish
arbusto buttonbush
purple millet
In Greek
Buttonbush θάμνος
purple millet
In Portuguese
arbusto Buttonbush
purple millet
In Polish
Buttonbush krzew
purple millet
In Latin
Frutex Buttonbush
purple millet
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Rubiales
Cyperales
Family
Bruniaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Cephalanthus
Pennisetum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Paniceae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
121
1
27800
👆🏻