Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is a perennial deciduous shrub that can grow up to sixteen feet tall. The light brown arching stems have hollow centers when mature. It’s dark green leaves are round at the bottom with a pointed tip. Honeysuckle grows quickly and has shallow roots. Honeysuckle is shade tolerant, resistant to heat, drought, and cold, and grows in a wide range of soil types.
Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is one of Ohio’s least wanted plants. It was first introduced to the United States in 1897 from Manchuria as an ornamental shrub, but is now incredibly invasive. It is one of the first plants to grow leaves each spring and one of the last to lose its leaves in the fall, shading out native plants.
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Amur honeysuckle’s delicate white tubular flowers are loved for their sweet nectar, though honeysuckle’s red berries aren’t edible. It’s flowers are used as a folk remedy for asthma, and its leaves were once used to make an ointment to remove freckles. As the flowers age throughout the season, they turn light yellow.
The bright red berries of honeysuckle are high sugar but low in fats and nutrients, making them the equivalent of junk food for birds. Unlike native species, Amur honeysuckle supports very few caterpillar species, further reducing the quality of bird’s food supplies. Mosquitoes, mites, and ticks all thrive in honeysuckle’s presence. |
Citations
“Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii).” Ohio Environmental Council, 21 Mar. 2018, theoec.org/blog/amur-honeysuckle-lonicera-maackii/.
“Amur Honeysuckle.” WIGL, Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes Collaborative, 25 July 2020, woodyinvasives.org/woody-invasive-species/amur-honeysuckle/.
“Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.” Center for Earth and Environmental Science, cees.iupui.edu/blog/amur-honeysuckle-why-we-care.
“Ohio Perennial and Biennial Weed Guide.” Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/single_weed.php?id=54.
“Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii).” Ohio Environmental Council, 21 Mar. 2018, theoec.org/blog/amur-honeysuckle-lonicera-maackii/.
“Amur Honeysuckle.” WIGL, Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes Collaborative, 25 July 2020, woodyinvasives.org/woody-invasive-species/amur-honeysuckle/.
“Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.” Center for Earth and Environmental Science, cees.iupui.edu/blog/amur-honeysuckle-why-we-care.
“Ohio Perennial and Biennial Weed Guide.” Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/single_weed.php?id=54.