This is not a native plant. It is native to Tibet and parts of China. It needs to be cut down to about a foot from the ground in the spring or late winter as the branches winter-kill around here. The most common buddleias here in Connecticut (Zone 5-ish ) are the B. davidii hybrids. I have seen a bush on Cape Cod MA, which enjoys a milder climate, that was as tall as a cottage and covered thickly with blooms.

The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus, the Father of Botany, after Adam Buddle, an English botanist. This particular specie is named after Père Armand David, a French missionary to China and fine zoologist.

This plant lives up to its name! Butterflies just love it. I just can't sneak up on them fast enough with my camera!. This drawing was done by a teacher at our school back when we were just planning the garden. We have the bird bath and many plants chosen to attract butterflies now!

In our school garden we have the typical B. davidii sort, with its purple flowers each with the most charming bright orange eye. You must get close and really look at the flower panicle to appreciate the great color combination!
We also have a yellow Buddleia , "Honeycomb". I do not particularly like it as it seems washed out and wimpy compared to the vibrant B. davidii. They also seem much less robust, to the point I was sure one had bit the dust. I think it sent up one pathetic shoot. Also note, just to be fair, that our garden does NOT pamper anything. The soil is poorish, watering is spotty and the prevailing wind moves on through with little or no obstruction.

Buddleia x weyeriana (from Michigan State University Extension Ornamental Plants site, http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modzz/00001950.html):
Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9
Height: 5 ft Spread: 5 ft Form: rounded
Type: deciduous shrub
Annual Growth Rate: more than 18 inches
Flowers: Yellow, orange

Comments: This buddleia is a hybrid between B. globosa and
B. davidii. Other than the flower colors, it is similar
to the more common B. davidii.

Cultivars:
'Honeycomb' - Yellow flowers (Vis. 2).
'Sungold' - Fragrant, yellow flowers (Vis. 1).

References for Cultivars: Bailey Nurseries 1997, Princeton
Nurseries 1997, Spring Meadow Nursery 1999, Berryhill
Nurseries 1999, Midwest Groundcovers 1999, Willoway
Nurseries 1999, Carlton Plants 1999.

These images were taken in our schoolyard garden. The plants have a light, bouncy arching look. Not a dense bush at all for us.

Study Pointers:

• for more information about the botanist Adam Buddle: He was a good botanist in the late 1600s who published two important works. Linnaeus honored him by naming after him the plant genus Buddleia. http://www.lincolnshire-web.co.uk/lincolnshire-illustrious/adam_buddle.htm 
• Do a search for Père Armand David. He is most famous for finding a rare deer in China and bringing it to the attention of the scientific world. (I assume the folks who lived around where the deer lived knew about it all along!)
• Do a search on butterfly gardening
• to read about this plant being a threat to certain ecosystems!: http://www.hear.org/pier/budav.htm
  It is important to remember that a "nice" plant in one place can be a "thug" in another.
• Vocabulary: pannicle

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