About Buddleja saligna Willd.
Buddleja saligna Willd. is an evergreen shrub or small tree that grows less than 15 meters tall, with a trunk up to 40 centimeters in diameter. It is very similar in appearance to plants in the Salix and Olea genera. As it ages, its bark develops deep longitudinal furrows. Its branchlets have a quadrangular cross-section and are winged. The leaves are opposite, subcoriaceous, and shaped from narrowly elliptic to linear. They vary greatly in size, ranging from 1.2 to 15 centimeters long and 0.2 to 3 centimeters wide. The upper leaf surface is medium to dark green, glabrous, and smooth, while the underside is covered in pale stellate hairs. The flowers carry a honey scent and are cream or white, occasionally with a reddish-orange throat. They bloom in spring and summer, arranged in large terminal flower heads that measure up to 12 cm by 12 cm. Individual corollas are 4 millimeters long. The dense timber of Buddleja saligna has a specific gravity of 0.98 and is of exceptionally high quality, though it rarely grows large enough to produce timber sized for furniture. In cultivation, Buddleja saligna is hardy and frost-resistant. It is notably drought-tolerant and grows easily in well-drained soil. Its recommended hardiness rating is USDA zone 9. In the United Kingdom, a specimen of Buddleja saligna is held in the NCCPG national collection of Buddleja, cultivated at Longstock Park Nursery near Stockbridge, Hampshire.
