Buttonbush – Cephalanthus occidentalis | Bayou Healing Shrub

Wet-Loving Healing Shrub of the Louisiana Bayou

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is a true bayou medicine shrub — used by generations for poultices and digestive teas. It thrives in wet soils, ditches, and the edges of slow-moving water where most plants won’t dare grow. Its striking spherical blooms are a magnet for every pollinator in Louisiana: bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all come calling.

• Light: Full sun
• Evergreen: No
• Maintenance: Low

Plant it at the water’s edge and watch the bayou come alive around it. A living piece of Cajun healing heritage.