





"Bush Honeysuckle"
Lonicera maackii
Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae)
- Shrub or small tree
- Leaves oppositely arranged on stem
- Stem often hollow when older
- White/yellow flowers in May/June
- Numerous, prominent red fruit in autumn
- Perennial plants that are highly invasive...is one of the most common
invasive species in Kentucky
- Native to Asia
- Fruit are desirable to birds who then disseminate the seed
- Seeds require stratification (cold treatment) before germinating in the
spring
- Plant is thought to produce allelochemicals that discourage other
species
- They also leaf out in the spring first, so outcompete other species for
sunlight
- Adaptable to a wide range of habitats, but typically seen in wooded
understory because that is where birds perch
- Plant is fire-resistant and insect resistant (although a European Aphid
species attacks, our native Ladybugs eat the Aphids)
- Roots and stems resprout easily, so will regrow after cutting
- Herbicides can control, but have to be re-applied for 100% control
- Japanese honeysuckle has similar leaves, flowers and fruit but is a
twining vine
Honeysuckle
fruit images
Click on the
top to hear Latin pronounciation...along the left side are thumbnails
Good
information on plant and how to control
Good images
Fact
Sheet with images
More pics