Shrubby Honeysuckles
What are they?
The honeysuckle family contains quite a wide range of mostly woody shrubs and climbers and it is the shrubby, non-climbing members of the family that are covered on this page. The deciduous species often have highly fragrant flowers that make them popular as garden plants, but the evergreen species often have flowers that are small and tucked away on the undersides of the densely leafy branches. The flowers have five petals, fused into a tube for much of their length. At the mouth, four petals are fused to form the top half of the flower with a single petal in the lower half - though this is less apparent in the evergreen species.
Climbing members of the family often have similar flowers to those of the shrubby species and small plants may not be obviously climbing. You can check climbing honeysuckles by clicking here.
Where are they found?
None of these plants are native to East Anglia, so they are most likely to be found as relics of cultivation or where garden waste may have been dumped. Wilson's and Box-leaved Honeysuckles are widely used as amenity plants, with the former also much planted in private woodlands for pheasant cover.
Identification
Leaf size and shape (and whether deciduous or evergreen) should first be determined and will separate the evergreen species. Deciduous plants can be identified by flower colour and flowering time (with careful attention to flower detail required for the winter honeysuckles).
Wilson's Honeysuckle Lonicera nitida
Introduced from China and widely used for garden hedging and for pheasant cover. Strangely, although it is one of the commonest hedging plants in the UK, most people know it either by its scientific name, or by misplaced English names such as 'privet' or 'small-leaved privet'. Flowers April to May. When left unclipped, this species forms an untidy, straggling bush to 2.5m tall. Flowers are only 6mm long, appear in pairs in the leaf axils and hang out of sight, beneath the foliage (clipped plants rarely flower as the flowering branches are clipped back before the flowers open). Leaves small, typically 0.6-1.6cm long, evergreen.
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Box-leaved Honeysuckle Lonicera pileata
Introduced from China and widely used for ground cover in amenity plantings. Recorded a handful of times from urban areas, where spreading from planted borders or where self-sown in pavement cracks. Flowers April to May. A low, spreading shrub with branches typically growing more or less horizontally. Flowers are only 6mm long, appear in pairs in the leaf axils and hang out of sight, beneath the foliage. Leaves small, typically 1.2-3.2cm long, evergreen.
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Hybrid Winter Honeysuckle Lonicera x purpusii
A hybrid of garden origin, recently recorded in Norfolk as a relic of cultivation or garden throw-out. Flowers sporadically, a few flowers at a time, from November to March, with a main flowering period in late January or February. A deciduous shrub with the flowers appearing over winter on bare branches (some leaves may persist if the winter is mild). Leaves broadly rounded and with a few, bristly hairs along their margins. Flowers often have one or two bristly hairs on the outside of the petal tube.
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Winter Honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima
Introduced from China as a garden ornamental and included here as an amenity plant in parks and municipal plantings that may occur as an escape from cultivation. Flowers sporadically, a few flowers at a time, from November to March, with a main flowering period in late January or February. A deciduous shrub with the flowers appearing over winter on bare branches (some leaves may persist if the winter is mild). Differs from the much more widely planted Hybrid Winter Honeysuckle by the lack of bristles on the leaf margins and petal tube and included here to aid separation of the two, very similar plants.
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Fly Honeysuckle Lonicera xylosteum
Considered native in shady scrub on chalk soils in SE England, but introduced in our region as a garden shrub and occasionally found where perhaps bird-sown or as a relic of cultivation. Flowers April to May. A deciduous shrub to 3m in height, with the flowers carried in prominent pairs in the leaf axils, standing upright above the branches.
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Tartarian Honeysuckle Lonicera tatarica
Introduced from western Asia as a garden ornamental with a handful of records from either bird-sown plants or relics of cultivation in Suffolk. Flowers May to June. A deciduous shrub to 3m in height. The flowers are rather variable in colour, from very pale pink to deep, reddish-pink.
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