Not much has been written of the Button-bush. We hear but little of
those shrubs that do not readily admit of culture, and are not
susceptible of modification by the arts of florists. The Button-bush is
confined to wet, solitary places; indeed, it may be considered a true
aquatic, as it grows in most cases directly out of the water. It is
associated with the complaining song of the blackbird, whose nest is
often placed in the forks of its branches, and it accompanies the ruder
aspects of nature. It is far from being an elegant plant; and the little
beauty it possesses belongs to the perfectly globular shape of its heads
of flowers, which are nearly white. It is generally seen bordering the
sluggish streams that flow through the level swamps, and often forms
little islets of shrubbery in the middle of a sheet of water.