We are used to seeing the exact same plant when Silver Buttonwood is used in the landscape. Fortunately, there are differing amounts of silver in wild Buttonwood populations.
If you travel to the Florida Keys and explore the backcountry, you will occasionally come across silvery forms of the Green Buttonwood. These vary from having silver on just the new growth to having the silver persist on older plants.
I have never seen the amount of silver on wild plants that is found in the commercial silvery form. Since Buttonwood is found throughout the Caribbean and West Africa, I wonder if our "native" Silver Buttonwood is truly native.
I personally prefer variety and love to mix various amounts of silver into my landscaping.
I might use several silvery forms of Buttonwood with Sea Lavender, Silver Palm, Key Thatch, Buccaneer Palm, Gaillardia, Silver Saw Palmetto and the bluish foliage of Cinnamon Bark.
