| Author | Franchet | |
| Distribution | Mostly in the southern Mountains; also a few counties in the lower Piedmont, and Outer Banks of Dare County. Probably has escaped in a handful of other counties, as this is a commonly planted species in yards and gardens.
Native of China; in N.A. MA to Ont. south to GA, AL, MO; also B.C. to CA. | |
| Abundance | Rare to locally uncommon. | |
| Habitat | Roadsides, road ditchbank, public park, trailside, quarry, open woods. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting June-October. | |
| Identification | Orange-eye Butterfly-bush is a multi-stemmed and -branched shrub, potentially up to 10 feet tall and even wider, commonly planted to attract butterflies to gardens and arboretums. The leaves are lance-shaped to ovate-lance-shaped, whitish beneath due to dense hairs, the margins slightly toothed. The very numerous inflorescences grow terminally and from upper leaf axils, 4-8 inches long, in a narrowly conical shape. The flowers are crowded, the corollas violet to pink or white outside and yellow-orange inside; they are very fragrant. Our other 2 species have smooth leaf margins. Though some references say that the species can and does escape, and that it should not be planted at all as a result, it escapes only rarely in most places and is an excellent butterfly attractant in most gardens, as long as areas around the plants are mowed or weeded carefully. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | | |
| Other Common Name(s) | | |
| State Rank | SE | |
| Global Rank | G4G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
