Lonicera hirsuta
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Lonicera pubescens
- Description
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Hairy honeysuckle is a native vine in the Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle) family and as the common name indicates, it is the hairiest of the honeysuckle vines. Found trailing in woodlands and thickets particularly along borders, clearings, and banks; often in sandy or rocky ground, and occasionally in swamps. The genus name Lonicera is named after Adam Lonitzer, a German botanist, herbalist, and physicist, and the species name hirsutus means hairy or rough in Latin.
It is primarily a northern honeysuckle that flourishes in colder regions and higher elevations, particularly on calcareous (high pH) bedrock.
It grows quickly to 3 to 16 feet in length with hairy opposite leaves and tubular yellow flowers that bloom from early to mid-summer. Nectar from the flowers attract pollinators and small mammals and the high sugar content fruits are enjoyed by birds.
It is non-invasive and is considered to be endangered in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Quick ID Features:
- Hairy stems, leaves, and petioles.
- Leaf margins are hairy (ciliate)
- Small, hairy, tubular yellow flowers with prominate stamens and style.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Lonicera
- Species:
- hirsuta
- Family:
- Caprifoliaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Layering
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North America
- Distribution:
- New England and eastern New York to southern Ontario, Minnesota, and Manitoba
- Wildlife Value:
- The sweet taste (high sugar content) and relatively low position to the ground attract non-migratory birds and small mammals. They produce fruit late in the season after most migratory birds have left the area. The flowers are of special value to bumblebees.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Wildlife Food Source
- Climbing Method:
- Twining
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 16 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Vine
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Climbing
- Clumping
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Round to oval orange-red berry 1/3 to ½ inch long.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Spike
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Clusters consist of 1 to 5 whorls each, with 6 stalkless flowers which may be yellow, sometimes orange to red and are ½ to 1 inch long. Each flower has a long, slender tube and 2 lips, the upper broad with 4 lobes and the lower narrow and shorter than the tube, both lobes often tightly rolled under with prominate stamens and style. The outer surface is finely glandular-hairy, the inner surface is also hairy making the flower sticky to the touch.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Velvety
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Obovate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Opposite, elliptic to oval, entire margins, short or non-existant petioils, blades are 2"-5" long 1 1/2-3" wide. Leaf pair below a flower cluster is joined around the stem, forming a disk around the cluster. The pair below it on the stem may also be perfoliate. Although the margins are entire, they can be fringed with hair or cilia. The leaves are dark-green above and lighter beneath and pubescent on both surfaces.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Green
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Peeling
- Bark Description:
- Twigs become gray-brown and hairless the second year. Older bark is gray and peels off in thin sheets.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Bud Scales:
- Enclosed in more than 2 scales
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Smooth, woody green stem with glandular-villous hairs that can take root when they touch soil.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Screen/Privacy
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
