Eastern Forest Threat Center - Bell's Honeysuckle

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Bell's honeysuckle leaves and flowers

Bell's honeysuckle leaves and flowers

Leslie Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Bell's Honeysuckle
Lonicera x bella

Bell’s honeysuckle, native to Europe and Asia, is the hybrid of Morrow’s honeysuckle and Tartarian honeysuckle. It has spread from horticultural plantings, wildlife habitat improvement plantings, and erosion control plantings.

Keywords: Caprifoliaceae, deciduous, shrub, hollow stems, fragrant flowers; Common names: hybrid honeysuckle, pretty honeysuckle, showy fly honeysuckle

Distribution Map Distribution Source Image

Threat Description

Bell’s honeysuckle is an upright deciduous shrub that can grow to 20 ft. in height. Its stems are hollow and sparsely pubescent. Leaves are opposite, oblong or oval in shape, slightly hairy, and 1–2½ in. long. Flowers vary, but are hairy, usually pink fading to yellow, up to 0.6 in. long, and appear in May to early June. Berries are red, spherical, and found in pairs. Fruits ripen in late summer or early fall, and the seeds, which are rather flat and ovate in shape, are often dispersed by birds. Adapted to a variety of habitats, but relatively shade intolerant, Bells’ honeysuckle thrives in sunny sites including open forests, forest edges, roadsides, pastures, abandoned fields, fens, bogs, and lakeshores. This plant’s vigorous growth and early spring leaf-out inhibit growth of native shrubs and ground layer species, reducing wildlife food and cover. It reduces the richness and cover of herb communities and delays establishment of new seedlings. If not controlled, plants can become massive in size and eventually replace native plants by crowding out, shading, and depleting soil of moisture and nutrients.