Lonicera tatarica (Tatarian honeysuckle)

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Lonicera tatarica L.

Tatarian honeysuckle

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Dipsacales	Includes viburnum, honeysuckle, snowberry, beautybush, twinflower, many others
Family	Caprifoliaceae	Honeysuckle family
Genus	Lonicera	Either Latin for honeysuckle, though this is not a “true” honeysuckle; or named for Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586), a German herbalist, physician and botanist who wrote a standard herbal text that was reprinted many times between 1557 and 1783
Species	tatarica	Tartaria was the name for a great tract of northern and central Asia

About plant names...

Tatarian honeysuckle is native to central Asia through southern Russia. Introduced to North America as an ornamental, this aggressive plant has become naturalized and widespread, and is a borderline invasive in some regions.

Here are some honeysuckles:

6/27/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 3" (12 × 8.4 cm)

5/9/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)

	*Lonicera fragrantissima*	*Lonicera japonica*	*Lonicera sempervirens*
Common Name	winter honeysuckle	Japanese honeysuckle	trumpet honeysuckle
Plant	Shrubs are 3-9½' (1-3 m) around	A vine up to 16' (5 m) in size. Young stems are reddish- or light-brown, while older stems are hollow, with peeling bark	Trumpet honeysuckle is a twining vine 3-20' (91-609 cm) long, depending upon what it has to climb over. Bark is orange-brown, and peeling.
Flowers	Blooms are a creamy white color, in pairs, appearing in March-April, and very fragrant, with a lemony smell	Flowers are white, showy, fragrant, about 1" (2.5 cm) in size. They fade to a yellow color, so the vine appears to have *white and yellow flowers*	In clusters of 2-4, each red or orange with *yellow interiors, 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) long, trumpet-shaped*. They appear from April to July.
Leaves	Leaves are opposite, roughly oval, with smooth edges	Leaves are opposite, roughly oval-shaped, with smooth edges. Younger leaves may have lobes	Roughly oval in shape, opposite, bluish green, and 1-3" (2.5-7.6 cm) long. Leaves at the base of flowers are fused at the base.
Fruit	Orange to red berries up to ⅜" (1 cm) across	Black, about ⅛" (3.2 mm) around	Berries are orange-red to deep red in color
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-8		USDA Zones: 4-9
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence

	You are here Lonicera tatarica	*Justicia spicigera*
Common Name	Tatarian honeysuckle	Mexican honeysuckle
Plant	Densely branched shrub, up to 10-12' (3-3.7 m) around	3-4' (91-121 cm) high and 4-6' (1.2-1.8 m) around
Flowers	Pairs of flowers, each about ¾" (1.9 cm) around, may be white, pink, or rose. Each flower has *five spatula-shaped*, somewhat unruly-looking petals, and five anthers	Bright orange, *tubular* in shape
Leaves	Leaves are oval in shape, with smooth edges and a bluish cast, 1½-2½" (3.8-6.3 cm) long × 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) wide, in opposite pairs	Roughly oval, soft and velvety, up to 3" (7.6 cm) long
Fruit	Berries are orange to red, about ¼" (6.3 mm) in diameter, often lasting through the winter
Range/ Zones		USDA Zones: 9-10
Type	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common to invasive

Identification: This honeysuckle grows into a large, densely branched shrub, up to 10-12' (3-3.7 m) around. Leaves are oval in shape, with smooth edges and a bluish cast, 1½-2½" (3.8-6.3 cm) long × 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) wide, in opposite pairs. Pairs of flowers, each about ¾" (1.9 cm) around, may be white, pink, or rose in color. Each flower has five spatula-shaped, somewhat unruly-looking petals, and five anthers. Berries are orange to red, about ¼" (6.3 mm) in diameter, often lasting through the winter. (By contrast, Japanese honeysuckle has small black berries.)

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

The University of Connecticut Plant Database

Forestry Images

Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

CalPhotos

7/11/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near NH Line, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 20 × 13" (50 × 33 cm)

6/26/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain

7/22/2021 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

5/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½" (9.8 × 6.6 cm)

5/21/2021 · Skolfield Shores Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 4 × 2½" (10 × 7 cm)

6/27/2021 · Maquoit Bay Preserve, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9 cm)

5/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

6/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

5/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

8/6/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3½" (11 × 9.2 cm)

5/27/2014 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

Lonicera sibirica Georgi nom. nud.

Lonicera tatarica L. var. latifolia Loudon

Lonicera tatarica description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 14 Aug 2021.

5/27/2014 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 10 cm)

6/30/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 5" (16 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain

8/4/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 14 × 10" (36 × 24 cm)

8/4/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 27 × 20" (69 × 50 cm)

9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 11 × 9" (28 × 22 cm) ID is uncertain

5/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain

5/21/2021 · Skolfield Shores Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 4 × 3" (10 × 8.1 cm)

8/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 3" (10 × 7.9 cm)

5/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)

These honeysuckle “raisins” resulted from a very dry summer. · 9/21/2010 · Unquetynasset Brook, Nashua River Rail Trail, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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