Invasive Plants-Tartarian Honeysuckle

Invasive Plant Species on the Wolf Hill Property

Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera Tatarica)
Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae)

Key Characteristics

Upright shrubs, opposite oval to egg-shaped leaves.
Tan to gray shreddy bark.
Tartarian honeysuckle (L. tatarica) has bluish-green leaves that are smooth and hairless beneath. Its tubular 5-lobed flowers are usually pink (sometimes white) and do not turn yellow as they age.
Cut stem reveals a hollow pith (central core of stem).
Fruit present from July - September are red, orange, rarely yellow, juicy, abundant.

Habit

Leaves

Stems

Flowers

Fruit

Habitat

Autumn olive has nitrogen-fixing root nodules, which allow it to thrive in poor soils.
Typical habitats are
- Habitat generalist.
- Woodlands, thickets, river shores, and waste places.
- Due to the horticultural use of these plants they are also commonly found at abandoned cultural sites, along roadsides, and in maintained landscapes.

Similar Species

Morrow’s honeysuckle (L. morrowii) has leaves that are gray-downy beneath and white flowers that yellow as they age. Young twigs and new foliage densely pubescent, hairy.
Pretty honeysuckle (L. x bella) is a hybrid between tatarian and Morrow’s honeysuckle. Its flowers are pink-tinged often with a darker pink stripe down the petal. Young twigs and new foliage sparsely pubescent.
Native honeysuckles (Lonicera canadensis, L. oblongifolia, L. hirsuta, L. dioica, L. villosa) all have solid pith.
Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera) has a solid pith, lanceolate leaves, and yellow flowers.
Snowberry (Symphoriocarpus albus) has rounded leaves and a white, misshapen berry.