Lonicera involucrata

Lonicera involucrata

by Allen Hanson, Native Plants of Arizona 2004

Common names: Bracted Honeysuckle, Twinberry Honeysuckle, Black Twinberry (1)

Family: Caprifoliaceae (1)

Synonymy: Xylosteum involucratum (Banks ex Spreng.) Richards

Etymology:

Identification

Growth form: An upright deciduous shrub growing to 10 feet tall. Drought tolerable. (4)

Roots:

Stem: Slender, light yellow-green and ribbed when young but turning reddish-brown, opposite branching (5)

Leaves: Simple, opposite, deciduous, ovate to elliptical, 1 1/2 to 5 inches long, green and smooth above and below, entire margins, arcuate veins (5)

Inflorescence/flowers: Monoecious, perfect, tubular or trumpet shaped, small (1/2 inch) and paired, surrounded by 2 bracts that turn red (5)

Fruit: Paired, purple to black berries about 1/4 inch in diameter (5)

Similar species: Lonicera involucrata ledebourii. A deciduous shrub to 8', normally to 6'. The flowers are orange-red and appear from Mar.-Jul. This species is similar to Lonicera involucrata morphologically, with differences mainly in distribution.

Ecology

Life history: perennial dicot

Native/introduced: Native to the western United States (2)

Photosynthetic pathway:

Phenology: Flowers appear in early June to late July (4)

Distribution: Western United States-west of the Rocky Mountains also including Alaska, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Northern Mexico. Growing in high mountainous regions above 7000 ft typically in mixed conifer forests and higher. Preferentially grows in moist shaded areas. (2)

Uses

Berries considered poisonous. A poultice of boiled leaves can be applied to swellings, and a decoction of the stems and leaves can be used for scabs, sores and broken bones

References

1. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (http://www.itis.usda.gov).

2. USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5. (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70874-4490 USA.

3. Borrer, D. J. 1960. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Word Forms. Mayfield Publishing Company. Mountain View, California.

4. Compleat Botanica http://www.crescentbloom.com/Plants/Specimen/LO/Lonicera%20involucrata.htm

5. VT Dendrology Homepage. Virginia Tech University. http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/linvolucrata.htm

*Lonicera involucrata* by Allen Hanson, Native Plants of Arizona 2004 Common names: Bracted Honeysuckle, Twinberry Honeysuckle, Black Twinberry (1) Family: Caprifoliaceae (1) Synonymy: Xylosteum involucratum (Banks ex Spreng.) Richards Etymology: Identification Growth form: An upright deciduous shrub growing to 10 feet tall. Drought tolerable. (4) Roots: Stem: Slender, light yellow-green and ribbed when young but turning reddish-brown, opposite branching (5) Leaves: Simple, opposite, deciduous, ovate to elliptical, 1 1/2 to 5 inches long, green and smooth above and below, entire margins, arcuate veins (5) Inflorescence/flowers: Monoecious, perfect, tubular or trumpet shaped, small (1/2 inch) and paired, surrounded by 2 bracts that turn red (5) Fruit: Paired, purple to black berries about 1/4 inch in diameter (5) Similar species: Lonicera involucrata ledebourii. A deciduous shrub to 8', normally to 6'. The flowers are orange-red and appear from Mar.-Jul. This species is similar to Lonicera involucrata morphologically, with differences mainly in distribution. Ecology Life history: perennial dicot Native/introduced: Native to the western United States (2) Photosynthetic pathway: Phenology: Flowers appear in early June to late July (4) Distribution: Western United States-west of the Rocky Mountains also including Alaska, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Northern Mexico. Growing in high mountainous regions above 7000 ft typically in mixed conifer forests and higher. Preferentially grows in moist shaded areas. (2) Uses Berries considered poisonous. A poultice of boiled leaves can be applied to swellings, and a decoction of the stems and leaves can be used for scabs, sores and broken bones References 1. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (http://www.itis.usda.gov). 2. USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5. (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70874-4490 USA. 3. Borrer, D. J. 1960. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Word Forms. Mayfield Publishing Company. Mountain View, California. 4. Compleat Botanica http://www.crescentbloom.com/Plants/Specimen/LO/Lonicera%20involucrata.htm 5. VT Dendrology Homepage. Virginia Tech University. http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/linvolucrata.htm