COMMON BUTTONBUSH
Cephalanthus occidentalis L.
Buttonbush of Texas is a small tree or large shrub up to 18 feet high, with a straight, tapering trunk up to 12 inches in diameter. Attaining its largest size in moist rich soil of eastern Texas, it is also found to the valley of the Rio Grande. The branches are generally upright, the spreading branchlets with pithy in the centers, often occurring in [whorls] of three from one place on the stem.
COMMON BUTTONBUSH (Leaf, one-third natural size; [fruit] and flowers, two-thirds natural size)
The LEAVES occur in pairs or [whorls] of 3 (occasionally more) each [oval] or [elliptical], pointed, rounded at the base, from 2 to 7 inches long by 1 to 3 inches wide. They are thin, dark green above, with a large central [midrib], and somewhat hairy beneath. They fall in autumn or remain on branchlets over winter.
The FLOWERS form a creamy white or yellow round head about 1 inch in diameter and are borne in clusters. The many small flowers in the head are fragrant and nectar-bearing. The long thread-like projecting styles are conspicuous on the flowering heads.
The [FRUIT] consists of a mass of [nuts] in a [globular] head forming an [aggregate fruit] ¾ inch in diameter. The red-brown [nutlets] have 2 to 4 closed, 1-seeded portions. The WOOD is of little value.
RUSTY BLACKHAW (Viburnum)
Viburnum rufidulum Raf.
Rusty blackhaw is found in woods and thickets over East Texas. It forms a tree, sometimes 35 feet high, with a trunk over a foot in diameter, but is usually much smaller, often flowering as a shrub. The twigs are ashy-gray, becoming dark dull reddish-brown after one to several years. The winter buds are densely covered with rusty brown hairs which persist for some weeks at the base of the leaf-stalks.
The [BARK] is ¼ to ½ inch thick, becoming roughened into small plate-like, dark brown [scales] tinged with red.