Skaneateles Conservation Area/Invasive species/Lonicera

<< Prohibited invasive plants at the SCA

Lonicera spp. (non-native bush honeysuckles)

The Eurasian bush honeysuckle species most likely to be present at the SCA (in approximate order of likelihood) are:

• Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle),
• Lonicera × bella [L. morrowii × tatarica] (Bell’s honeysuckle),
• Lonicera tatarica (Tartarian honeysuckle), and
• Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle)

These exotic honeysuckles are all similar in appearance and invasive characteristics and displace valuable natives.

All four of these taxa are grouped in what is now called Lonicera subg. Lonicera sect. Lonicera (syn. sect. Coeloxylosteum sensu Rehder).

Section Lonicera is characterized by flowers with a two-lipped corolla and hollow branches.

This section also contains native "fly honeysuckles," of which Lonicera canadensis (American fly-honeysuckle) is known to be present at the SCA.

Description

All of the above honeysuckles are upright deciduous shrubs with long arching branches, and commonly reach 5 to 20 feet tall. They are all in the Lonicera section Lonicera and produce abundant red to orange-yellow fruit.

Table 1. Bush honeysuckle differentiation

Species	Common name	Leaf texture	Leaf shape	Mature (2 yr) stem pith	Fruit shape	Fruit color	Corolla	Style	Peduncle length	Nativity
Lonicera morrowii	Morrow's honeysuckle	densely hairy (top and bottom)	oblong elliptic	hollow, darker	round in pairs	yellow, orange, or red	lobed nearly to base zygomorphic 10-22 mm long	pubescent	≤ 15 mm	non-native (invasive)
Lonicera × bella  [L. morrowii × tatarica]	Bell’s honeysuckle	densely hairy below, sparsely hairy above		hollow, darker	round in pairs	yellow, orange, or red	lobed nearly to base zygomorphic 10-22 mm long	pubescent	5 - 15 mm	non-native (invasive)
Lonicera tatarica	Tartarian honeysuckle	smooth, hairless	oblong ovate	hollow, darker	round in pairs	yellow, orange, or red	lobed nearly to base zygomorphic 10-22 mm long	pubescent		non-native (invasive)
Lonicera maackii	Amur honeysuckle		abruptly acuminate	hollow, darker	round in pairs	yellow, orange, or red	bilabiate zygomorphic 10-22 mm long	pubescent	< 5 mm	non-native (invasive)
Lonicera canadensis	American fly honeysuckle			solid white not hollow	round in pairs	bright red	± actinomorphic 10-22 mm long short spur at the base	glabrous		native

Note: The native Lonicera canadensis (American fly honeysuckle) is also present at the SCA and looks superficially similar to the exotic bush honeysuckles, so care must be taken before removing any plant. A simple but not definitive way to tell the difference is that the European honeysuckles may have hollow or dark piths, while native honeysuckles have solid white pith.

Eurasian bush honeysuckles are some of the first shrubs to leaf out in the spring, which allows them to shade native plants and encourages birds to nest earlier and lower to the ground, where they are more vulnerable to predators.

Second to European buckthorn, Eurasian bush honeysuckles, are probably the dominant shrub seen on most of the SCA.

In fact the two shrubs (buckthorn and honeysuckle) are sometimes referred to collectively using the colloquial term "bucksuckle," which locally has broadened to refer collectively to all common invasive shrubs and even to be used as a verb indicating the removal of any such invasive plants.

Invasiveness ranking of Lonicera × bella complex

The 2008 relative maximum invasiveness score for the complex containing Lonicera morrowii, L. tatarica & L. × bella (exotic bush honeysuckles) was 85.54%.

All species of the Lonicera × bella complex are prohibited by New York State law.

Ecological impact

Dense patches of Lonicera morrowii can cover 100% of an infested forest understory.

Forest regeneration following disturbance can be severely impeded by these species, which displace and suppress native species.

The L. × bella complex is an aggressive invader of lower elevation forests throughout the northeastern United States.

Red carotenoid pigment (rhodoxanthin) in the fruits of Lonicera morrowii were found to cause the terminal tail bands on cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) to change color from yellow to orange.

Biological characteristics and dispersal ability

A high percentages of seeds of L. morrowii (78–97%) germinate, both under litter and beneath the soil surface.

Even though the fruit (as of introduced species in general) is of low quality, it is eaten and dispersed by both birds and mammals.

Ecological amplitude and distribution

Exotic bush honeysuckle invades wetlands, including shrub swamps, forested wetlands, riparian zones, and ditches. It also invades upland grasslands, shrublands, forests, woodlands, and roadsides.

Dense patches often cover 100% of and area.

Studies are mixed on its ability to colonized well-forested areas. It's clear that it can co-dominate old fields and early-successional forest communities, but may decline as forests mature (if they are allowed to).

Difficulty of control

Exotic bush honeysuckles are perennial shrubs that readily resprout from roots.

Observations of Lonicera × bella complex at the SCA

The following photographs and corresponding iNaturalist observations of Lonicera were made at or very near the Skaneateles Conservation Area. Click on images to enlarge and read details on Wikimedia Commons or on the "iNat obs" links to view the corresponding observations at iNaturalist.

• Lonicera × bella complex, Federal Farm near landfill, 5 May 2012. iNat obs
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• Lonicera × bella complex, Federal Farm near fishing pond, 14 May 2012. iNat obs
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• Lonicera × bella complex, Federal Farm near the observation platform, 19 May 2015. iNat obs
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• Lonicera × bella complex, Federal Farm old field behind transfer station, 25 May 2015. iNat obs
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