bush honeysuckle
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- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Exotic Honeysuckles
- National Park Service - Exotic Bush Honeysuckles
- Bellarmine University - Bush Honeysuckle
- Fact Monster - Science - Honeysuckle
- Purdue University - Department of Entomology - Asian Bush Honeysuckle
- How Stuff Works - Science - Honeysuckle
- Old and Sold - Bush Honeysuckle
- Botanical.com - Honeysuckles
- Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center - Bush Honeysuckle
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Bush Honeysuckles
bush honeysuckle, (genus Diervilla), genus of three species of low shrubs belonging to the honeysuckle family, native to eastern North America. Bush honeysuckles are frequently confused with members of the true honeysuckle genus (Lonicera), especially the related Tatarian honeysuckle (L. tatarica) and other cultivated species, which are invasive species in many parts of the United States. Diervilla species are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds and are commonly used in native landscaping.
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Angiosperm
- Order: Rosales
- Family: Caprifoliaceae (formerly Diervillaceae)
Physical description
Bush honeysuckles are deciduous perennials and have oval leaves and clusters of tubular flowers at the branch tips. They spread by rhizomes (underground stems) and form patches in rocky dry areas. Flowering occurs in early summer. The yellow or reddish yellow blooms are followed by slender beaked fruits.
Species
The northern bush honeysuckle (D. lonicera) and the mountain bush honeysuckle (D. rivularis) are similar except for the smaller size and more-pointed leaves of D. lonicera. The southern bush honeysuckle (D. sessilifolia) has stalkless leaves and angled branches.