Buddleja madagascariensis.
Family Scrophulariaceae.
The Orange Buddleja or Smoke Bush is naturalised in some areas of Australia.
It has become an invasive weed in Queensland.
A sparse, scrambling, evergreen shrub around 3 m high but occasionally up to 10 m.
It has long, arching stems densely covered in matted, white hairs.
The opposite leaves are on hairy petioles around 2 cm long.
Lanceolate or narrowly ovate leaves are 2 to 15 cm long by 1.5 to 5 or 6 cm wide.
The base is rounded or heart-shaped and the tip is pointed.
Young leaves are densely hairy underneath and have some hairs on the upper surface.
Older leaves remain white underneath with dense, matted hairs.
The veins are impressed giving the surface a crepe-like appearance.
Branched or unbranched, terminal inflorescences are 5 to 25 cm long.
Their weight makes the stems arch over.
The tubular flowers are deep yellow to orange or pinkish.
The 4 densely hairy sepals, around 3 mm long, are fused for most of their length.
Flowers, on a very short, or no stalk, have 4 petals also fused for most of their length.
The corolla tube is around 1 cm long with the spreading lobes around 3 mm.
The outer surface of the petals is densely hairy.
There are 4 stamens and a hairy superior ovary with a short style and club-shaped stigma.
Unlike other Buddlejas the fruit are roundish berries.
They mature from whitish to a dark purple, bluish-purple or black.
They contain many 1 mm long, winged, oval seeds.
There are a number of hybrids.
J.F.
