Buddleja davidii var. wilsonii is endemic to western Hubei, China, at elevations of between 1600 and 2000 m; it was named after the English plant collector Ernest Wilson by Alfred Rehder.Phillips, R,., & Rix, M. (1989). Shrubs. Pan Garden Plant series. Pan Books Ltd., London. The taxonomy of the plant and the other five davidii varieties has been challenged in recent years. Leeuwenberg sank them all as synonyms, considering them to be within the natural variation of a species,Leeuwenberg, A.J.M. (1979). The Loganiaceae of Africa XVIII Buddleja L. II. Revision of the African and Asiatic species. Mededelingen Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen, Nederland a treatment adopted in the Flora of China published in 1996,Li, P-T. & Leeuwenberg, A. J. M. (1996). Loganiaceae, in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) Flora of China, Vol. 15, p. 335. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA. online at www.efloras.org and also upheld by both the Plants of the World Online database and the International Dendrology Society's Trees and Shrubs Online website.
Description Buddleja davidii var. wilsonii is one of the more readily identifiable varieties by virtue of its lax, somewhat pendulous, delicate panicles, under 60 cm long, of lilac-pink flowers;Hatch, L. (2007) Cultivars of Woody Plants Volume 1 (A-G), 2007 Edition. TCR Press Horticultural PDF. books. the flowers have reflexed margins to the lobes of the corollas, and the leaves are narrower than the type.
Cultivation Buddleja davidii var. wilsonii is rare in cultivation, and not known to remain in commerce. A large specimen grew against a wall at Forde Abbey, Dorset.
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