Shrub to 2 m tall

Leaves: opposite, short-stalked, 3 - 5 cm long, oblong to narrowly elliptic with a rounded base and rounded to pointed tip, softly hairy beneath.

Flowers: in pairs, axillary, on 5 - 15 mm long, hairy stalks, fragrant. Bractlets hairy. Sepals short, fringed with hairs. Corolla white, turning yellowish, 1.5 cm long, tubular, five-lobed (upper lip four-lobed, divided to base; lower lip a single lobe), hairy outside. Stamens five.

Fruit: a few-seeded berry, in pairs, reddish orange, over 0.5 cm long, rounded.

Twigs: hollow.

Form: upright and widely spreading.

Similar species: Lonicera x muscaviensis is similar but its calyx lobes, bractlets, and bracts bear stalked glands.

Flowering: May to June

Habitat and ecology: Introduced from Asia. This uncommon shrub has escaped from cultivation and may be found in a variety of habitats, including woods, woodland edges, thickets, roadsides, railroad right-of-ways, meadows, and weedy disturbed streambanks.

Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native

Etymology: Lonicera is named after Adam Lonicer (1528-1586), a German botanist and author. Morrowii is named after Dr. James Morrow, a 19th century agriculturist.

Author: The Morton Arboretum

Lvs oblong to narrowly elliptic, softly pubescent beneath; peduncles 5-15 mm, densely hairy; bractlets pubescent; sep ciliate; cor pubescent, white, turning yellow; otherwise much like no. 4 [Lonicera tatarica L.]. May, June. Native of Japan, occasionally escaped in our range.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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