Button-Bush
Cephalanthus occidentalis. Madder Family.
A shrub three to eight feet high. Leaves.--Opposite or whorled in threes; somewhat oblong and pointed. Flowers.--Small; white; closely crowded in round button-like heads. Calyx.--Four-toothed. Corolla.--Four-toothed. Stamens.--Four. Pistil.--One, with a thread-like protruding style and blunt stigma.
This pretty shrub borders the streams and swamps throughout the country. Its button-like flower-clusters appear in midsummer. It belongs to the family of which the delicate bluet and fragrant partridge vine are also members. Its flowers have a jasmine-like fragrance.