Morrow Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae)

Description: This introduced woody shrub is about 6-10' tall and much branched. Young branches are terete, pubescent, and gray-colored. Older branches become covered with bark that develops shallow longitudinal fissures; this bark is typically greyish brown. Along the smaller branches and twigs there are pairs of opposite leaves. The blades of these leaves are about 2-3" long and ¾–1" across; they are oblong-ovate or oblong-lanceolate with blunt tips and rounded bottoms. Their margins are smooth. 
 
Pairs of flowers develop from the axils of the leaves on pedicels up to ½" long. The corollas of these flowers are initially white, but they later become cream-colored. The corolla of each flower spans about ¾–1" long and across; it divides into 5 widely spreading slender lobes from a narrow tubular base. Exerted from the throat of each flower, there are 5 stamens and a single style with a globoid stigma. The anthers of the stamens are yellow, while their filaments are white. The tubular calyx of each flower is greyish green and pubescent with five teeth; it is very short. Underneath each calyx, there are small blunt bractlets and a pair of narrow leafy bracts. The blooming period occurs during mid- to late spring and lasts about 3 weeks. The flowers are very fragrant. The ovary of each flower matures into a globoid red berry about ¼" across. Mature berries are juicy with a flavor that is bland or slightly bitter.
 
Cultivation: Morrow Honeysuckle prefers full sun to light shade, moist to slightly dry conditions, and soil containing fertile loam or clay-loam. It may also adapt to soil that is gravelly or sandy. This attractive shrub is easy to grow, but it can invade natural habitats.
 
Range & Habitat:  Morrow Honeysuckle has an affinity from disturbed woodlands with young trees. It is able to displace native shrubs and casts a dense shade that can kill off most of the ground flora, including spring wildflowers in woodlands. Morrow Honeysuckle develops its leaves earlier in the spring than other shrubs and it retains its leaves later in the fall. This shrub is native to East Asia.
 
Faunal Associations: The flower nectar of honeysuckle shrubs attracts the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and Sphinx moths (particularly Hemaris thysbe & Hemaris diffinis); other insects that may visit the flowers include Swallowtail butterflies, Anthophorid bees (Anthophora spp.), and bumblebees. Several insects feed on honeysuckle shrubs.  White-Tailed Deer occasionally browse on the foliage and smaller branches.
 
Photographic Location: Standing Stone State Park in TN
 
Comments: Morrow Honeysuckle is one of several honeysuckle shrubs that have been introduced from Eurasia. Many of these species are highly invasive of natural habitats; among the worst offenders in the Midwest are Lonicera maackii (Amur Honeysuckle), Lonicera morrowii (Morrow Honeysuckle), Lonicera tartarica (Tartarian Honeysuckle), and Lonicera × bella (Showy Honeysuckle). The latter is considered a fertile hybrid of Morrow Honeysuckle and Tartarian Honeysuckle.