''Buddleja scordioides'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to central

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, southeastern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, southwestern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, and the

Chihuahua Desert Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state ** Chihuahua Mu ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, growing amidst

xeric Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

thorn-scrub on alkaline soils at elevations of 600 – 2,500 m. The species was first named and described by

Kunth Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850), also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist. He is known for being one of the first to study and categorise plants from the American continents, ...

in 1818.Kunth, in Humboldt, Bonpland, and Kunth. (1818). ''Nov. gen. sp., ed. fol.'' 2:278 ed. quar. 2:345, t183, 1818.Norman, E. M. (2000). Buddlejaceae. ''Flora Neotropica 81''. New York Botanical Garden, USA

Description

''Buddleja scordioides'' is a weedy dioecious shrub 0.3 – 1.2 m tall with shredding bark. The young branches are subquadrangular and

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pl ...

, bearing small oblong to linear membranaceous grayish-green leaves 1 – 3 cm long by 0.3 – 0.8 cm wide, rugose above, and tomentose on both surfaces. The

sage Sage or SAGE may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia officinalis'', common sage, a small evergreen subshrub used as a culinary herb ** Lamiaceae, a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family ** ''Salvia'', a large ...

- scented lemon - yellow leafy inflorescences are 2 – 10 cm long, comprising 3 – 15 pairs of

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

clusters, each with 15 – 20 flowers, the corollas 1.5 – 2 mm long. Ploidy: ''2n'' = 38.Norman. E.M. Buddlejaceae, Butterfly Bush Family. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 26:5-6. 1992.

Cultivation

The species is not known to be in cultivation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4984711 scordioides Flora of Arizona Flora of New Mexico Flora of Texas Endemic flora of the United States Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of the United States Dioecious plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status