Taxonomy
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Habitat
Dry or rocky soil of sandy woods, shady slopes, including ravines and on clay and rock slopes.
Associates
Betula papyrifera, Hamamelis virginiana, Ostrya virginiana, Solidago flexicaulis, Tilia americana.
Distribution
Newfoundland west to Saskatchewan, south to NC, TN, IN, and IA.
Morphology
Low, woody shrub to 1.2 m; twigs terete. Leaves opposite, short petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, serrate. Flowers small, yellow, in terminal cymes on new growth. Fruit a small capsule containing many tiny seeds.
Notes
Flowers late May to late August
Wetland indicator: Upland
Images 6 and 7 are of the cultivar 'Copper', which may be a hybrid between this species and D. sessiliflora. The remainder are certain to be D. lonicera. A good foliage plant and the flowers, though understated, are attractive. Needs annual pruning to remove dead stems but otherwise trouble-free. Seems to be a poorly-known species, often mistaken for true honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) and I have come across at least one flora that omits this species for an area where it is quite common.
References
Dirr, Michael A. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants:
Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses.
5th ed. Champaign, Illiois: Stipes Publishing L.L.C.
Gleason, Henry A.
and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States
and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.
Michael Hough © 2004 |