Lonicera tatarica

Appearance

Tatarian honeysuckle is a multistemmed, upright, woody, deciduous shrub that grows up to 10 ft. (3 m) tall. The bark is light gray and can often peel in vertical strips.

Foliage

The leaves are opposite, ovate, 1.5-2.5 in. (3.8-6.4 cm) long and blue-green. Often, it is one of the first shrubs to leaf out in the spring.

Flowers

Flowers develop in pairs in the axils of the leaves in May to June. Flowers are deeply 5-lobed, tubular, usually pink to red and rarely white.

Fruit

The abundant paired berries are 0.25 in. (0.6 cm) in diameter, ripen to an orange to red color and often persist throughout winter.

Ecological Threat

Tartarian honeysuckle readily invades open woodlands, old fields, and other disturbed sites. It can spread rapidly due to birds and mammals dispersing the seeds and can form an extremely dense understory thicket which can restrict native plant growth and tree seedling establishment. Tartarian honeysuckle is a native of eastern Asia and was first introduced into North America as an ornamental in 1752.