Bush Honeysuckle (Amur Honeysuckle) 

​Lonicera maackii

Bush honeysuckle (Lonicera mackii), also known as amur honeysuckle, is native to East Asia and is primarily invasive in central and eastern United States. As a perennial deciduous shrub, it grows tall along wood edges, disturbed forests, and along riparian corridors. Bush honeysuckle can form large stands that out-compete native shrubs and herbaceous understory plants.

​Bush honeysuckle usually grows to be a tall shrub, up to 20 feet. The leaves are ovate, opposite, dark green, with acuminate tips. In the spring, bush honeysuckle is one of the first plants to produces leaves, giving it a competitive advantage.  During the late Spring, it produces pairs of fragrant, tubular, white to pinkish flowers. After flowering, dark red, spherical fruits are produced. The fruits persist on the branches into the winter, where birds feed on them, furthering the spread of this shrub.  In North Carolina, it has been observed in the Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain.

Fact Sheet: Amur Honeysuckle

Photo Credit: Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org

Photo Credit: John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org