Rubiaceae (Cephalanthus)
Cephalanthus (occidentalis)
Rubiaceae
Madder
Cephalanthus
occidentalis
Buttonbush
CEPOCC
Central New Jersey
Buttonbush is found from Florida to Mexico and north to Nova Scotia and Ontario. It grows along the banks of rivers, ponds, lakes, swamps, and other wet areas that have saturated soil in full to partial sun.
Plants
Vegetative
Container (plug)
1 Gallon Container
12 to 16 months
12-18" Height, Well rooted
Summer softwood cuttings approximately 12" long were collected from wild populations in Central New Jersey in June and early July from healthy plants. The cuttings were kept moist and placed inside a soft insulated bag used for field collections.
The cuttings were kept moist and stored in a walk-in cooler for 2 days or less before sticking.
Cuttings were cut to 4 to 6" lengths with at least 2 nodes, having an angled cut on the bottom and a straight cut on the top and leaves were trimmed to approximately 50%. The bottom of the cuttings were dipped in Hormodin 1 (0.1% IBA) powder and stuck in 2" cells filled with high porosity peat-based medium.
The stuck cuttings were placed on mist tables in an unheated greenhouse with ventilation. Intermittent mist was supplied for 6 seconds every 10 minutes.
Cuttings were well rooted in 6 to 8 weeks with a 85 to 90% success rate.
6 to 8 weeks
Well rooted cuttings were transplanted to 1 gallon containers filled with peat based growing media supplemented with Caliber-cote controlled release fertilizer (18N–6P2O5-12K2O).
10-14 Months
One gallon containers were finished the following season by June or September.
Grows well on wet sites, suitable for stream bank stabilization and rain gardens.
https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_ceoc2.pdf
Errickson, William. 2025. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Cephalanthus occidentalis Plants 1 Gallon Container; Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cream Ridge, New Jersey. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/07/04). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.