Shrub to 6 m tall

Leaves: opposite, 3 - 6 cm long, oval with a rounded base and blunt or pointed tip, slightly hairy beneath.

Flowers: in pairs, borne on a 0.5 - 1.5 cm long, sparsely hairy axillary stalk. Calyx short, five-lobed. Corolla pink, fading yellow, more than 13 mm long, tubular, five-lobed, hairless outside. Stamens five.

Fruit: a few-seeded berry, in pairs, reddish orange.

Twigs: hollow.

Form: upright.

Similar species: Lonicera x muendeniensis is similar but its corolla only grows to 13 mm long.

Flowering: May to early June

Habitat and ecology: Escaped from cultivation. Frequent along fencerows, in waste places, and in woods.

Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native

Etymology: Lonicera is named after Adam Lonicer (1528-1586), a German botanist and author. Bella means pretty, handsome.

Author: The Morton Arboretum