Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tender Perennial
Origin
South Africa
Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia
Types
Cephalanthus occidentalis
-
Number of Varieties
72
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
365.76 cm180.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
182.88 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Ivory
White, Red, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
-
-
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Oblong
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Average
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
From Rhizomes, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged
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
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
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 damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Fertilizer every month during spring, Requires high amount of nitrogen, since leafy plants, use higher nitrogen content fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Earwigs, fungus, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red blotch, Root rot, Scale, Thripes
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
-
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic, Tonic
Antirheumatic, Appetite enhancer, Asthma, Bronchitis, Cold, Headache, Laxative, Muscle Pain, Sore throat, Sweat bullets, Tonsillitis
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Inner Bark, Root, Wood
Flowers, Root bark
Other Uses
Used for woodware
Culinary use, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Cutflower, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
BERZELIA lanuginosa
ALPINIA purpurata
Common Name
Buttonbush
Jungle Queen, Red Ginger
In Hindi
Buttonbush shrub
लाल अदरक
In German
Button Strauch
Red Ginger
In French
buttonbush arbuste
Red Ginger
In Spanish
arbusto buttonbush
Red Ginger
In Greek
Buttonbush θάμνος
Red Ginger
In Portuguese
arbusto Buttonbush
Red Ginger
In Polish
Buttonbush krzew
Red Ginger
In Latin
Frutex Buttonbush
Gingiberi Rubrum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Rubiales
Zingiberales
Family
Bruniaceae
Zingiberaceae
Genus
Cephalanthus
Alpinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Alpinieae
Subfamily
-
Alpinioideae
Number of Species
1250
1
27800
👆🏻