Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii)

Features and Characteristics

Lonicera maackii, commonly called Amur honeysuckle or bush honeysuckle, is native to Manchuria, Japan, Korea and China. It was first introduced into the U.S. in 185 It was originally planted in the U.S. as an ornamental shrub, but it quickly escaped gardens and naturalized throughout much of the eastern U.S. to the Great Plains into a variety of sites including roadsides and railroads, woodland borders, some forests, fields, unused or disturbed lands and yard edges. Once spread into the wild, it can form dense, shrubby, understory colonies that eliminate native woody and herbaceous plants. Amur honeysuckle is a densely-branched, deciduous shrub that typically grows to 15′ tall (sometimes more). It features tapered, ovate to lanceolate, medium to dark green leaves (to 3″ long) and tubular, two-lipped, very fragrant summer white flowers (1″ wide at throat) that age to yellow. Flowers bloom in May-June. Flowers give way to juicy, dark red berries which are inedible to humans but loved by birds who help spread the seed. It is distinguished from other honeysuckles by its short pedicils (nearly sessile flowers and berries).

Genus name honors Adam Lonitzer (1528-158- , German botanist, the author of an herbal (Kreuterbuch) many times reprinted between 1557 and 178

Specific epithet honors Russian naturalist Richard Maack (1825-188- .