Shrub

Leaves: opposite, egg-shaped, with a waxy coating (glaucous). The leaves of the flowering shoots are merely stalkless or the uppermost fused into a disk.

Flowers: in whorls of three or more, on a 1 - 3 cm long stalk. Calyx short, five-lobed. Corolla scarlet, 3.5 - 5 cm long, tubular, five-lobed (lobes more or less equal). Stamens five.

Fruit: a few-seeded berry, in clusters, reddish.

Twigs: hairless.

Form: sprawling to upright.

Similar species: Lonicera dioica, L. prolifera, and L. sempervirens differ by being climbing shrubs or vines. Also, the corollas of L. dioica and L. prolifera do not grow larger than 3 cm long.

Flowering: mid-June to mid-September

Habitat and ecology: Escaped from cultivation and found along highways.

Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native

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

Author: The Morton Arboretum