Buddleja saligna stem tip

Velvety white hairs, soft, short and dense, cover much of what is to be seen upon this Buddleja saligna stem tip. Such hairiness abounds particularly on the lower leaf surfaces, although some lateral venation is still visible there on some of the leaves in the photo. Also the four-angled upper stems are white and velvety.

The leaf midribs are recessed on the upper surface, prominent below upon the long, narrow blades. The hairy petioles of the upper leaves are aligned close to the stem here.

The way in which the leaf margins are rolled under doesn’t quite hide the unevenness of the margins, or the rolling. Leaves are quite variable in size. Some leaf stipules between the petiole bases are still present here; they drop early, leaving scars.

Clusters of tiny, globular flower buds are present in picture. They are at this stage pale brown, greenish, cream and grey (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993).