Morrow's honeysuckle
(Lonicera morrowii)
This species is Introduced in the United States
Appearance
Lonicera morrowii is a multistemmed, upright, deciduous shrub that grows up to 8 ft. (2.5 m) tall. The bark is light brown and often pubescent on young stems. Stems are hollow.
Foliage
The grayish-green leaves are opposite, round, 2-3 in. (5.1-7.6 cm) long and hairy underneath. Often it is one of the first shrubs to leaf out in the spring.
Flowers
The fragrant paired flowers are tubular, white to cream-colored, 0.75 in. (1.9 cm) in diameter and develop from May to June.
Fruit
The abundant berries are 0.25 in. (0.6 cm) in diameter, ripen to orange or red in color, often persist throughout winter, and occur on 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) pedicels.
Ecological Threat
Lonicera morrowii readily invades open woodlands, old fields, and other disturbed sites. It can spread rapidly due to birds and mammals dispersing the seeds and can form a dense understory thicket which can restrict native plant growth and tree seedling establishment. Lonicera morrowii is a native of eastern Asia and was first introduced into North America in the late 1800s. It has been planted widely as an ornamental and for wildlife food and cover.
Resources
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests - USDA Forest Service
- Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - SE-EPPC
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Selected Images
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.
Invasive Listing Sources
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council - Watch list A
- City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 1994.
- Connecticut Invasive Plant List
- Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
- Delaware Invasive Species Council
- Delaware Invasive Species Council Invasive Species List
- Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
- Illinois Exotic Weed Act
- Indiana Invasive Species Council - Invasive Plant List
- Indiana Terrestrial Plant Rule
- Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin
- Invasive Plant Species of West Virginia
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Moderate Threat
- Maine Invasive Plants
- Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. 2003. Invasive Plant Control in Maryland. Home and Garden Information Center, Home and Garden Mimeo HG88. 4 pp.
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources Policy: Restriction on Planting Exotic Invasive Plants
- Maryland Invasive Species Council - Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
- Massachusetts Invasive Plants Advisory Group List
- Massachusetts Noxious Weeds
- Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List
- Minnesota Noxious Weeds
- National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
- New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
- New Hampshire Prohibited Invasive Species
- New Jersey Invasive Species Management Act
- New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
- New York Regulated and Prohibited Invasive Species - Prohibited
- Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Ohio Invasive Species Council
- Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
- Pennsylvania Noxious Weeds
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
- Reichard, Sarah. 1994. Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.
- Rhode Island Natural History Survey
- Tennessee Noxious Weeds
- Vermont Noxious Weeds
- Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- West Virginia Department of Agriculture Regulations Governing the Distribution of Plant Materials
- West Virginia Invasive Species Strategic Plan and Volunteer Guidelines 2014
- West Virginia Native Plant Society, Flora West Virginia Project, and West Virginia Curatorial Database System, September 3, 1999
- West Virginia Noxious Weeds
- Wisconsin Noxious Weeds
- Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40
Taxonomic Rank
| Domain: Eukarya |
| Kingdom: Plantae |
| Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
| Class: Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder: Asteranae |
| Order: Dipsacales |
| Family: Caprifoliaceae |
| Genus: Lonicera |
| Lonicera morrowii |
Synonyms and Other Names
Other Common Names:
Morrow's bush honeysuckle
Related Scientific Names:
Lonicera insularis Gray (Synonym)
References
Common Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Scientific Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.