Buddleja bullata is a variable species endemic to the Andes, from Venezuela south through Colombia and Ecuador to Peru, at elevations of 1,800 - 3,600 m, where it grows on stream beds and in the remnants of montane forest.[1] The species was first described and named by Kunth in 1818.[2]
Buddleja bullata is a dioecious shrub or small tree 1 – 10 m high, with a greyish-tan bark. The branches are subquadrangular and tomentose. The membraneous or subcoriaceous leaves are elliptic, lanceolate or ovate, 8 - 22 cm long by 3 - 8 cm wide, glabrescent, often bullate, above and covered with a white or yellowish tomentum below. The cream or yellow inflorescences are paniculate 7 - 25 cm long by 7 - 20 cm wide, comprising globose heads about 1 cm in diameter, each with 6 - 12 flowers; the corollas are 2.5 - 3.5 mm long.[1]
The species is believed to hybridize with B. pichinchensis in the wild.[1]