Southern Bush Honeysuckle is a compact, low-growing deciduous shrub that matures to 5 feet high and 5 feet wide. The plant thrives in windy, sunny, dry sites where other plants won't grow and is native to the slopes, and stream banks of the Great Smoky Mountains and the southern Appalachian Mountains. It spreads by suckers and will form thickets, which makes it ideal for stabilizing banks or using as a ground cover. The dark green leaves have red veins and the trumpet-shaped sulpher-yellow blooms flower all summer. The genus name honors a French surgeon named Dierville who observed the bush-honeysuckle growing in Canada in 1699-1700. The species name is in reference to the sessile leaves. The common name bush honeysuckle refers to the appearance of the flowers, which resemble those of plants in the genus Lonicera (honeysuckles). However, this species should not to be confused with Lonicera japonica , which shares the common name bush honeysuckle but is an exotic invasive species. Bush Honeysuckle is easy to grow in average moisture, well-drained soils in full sun or part shade. The plant will spread by underground stems to form colonies, but it is not considered to be invasive. It is drought tolerant, hardy, adaptable to a range of soil pH and soil types and will tolerate some shade. About the only things it does not tolerate is salt and poor-draining clay soils. Prune in late winter or early spring to control the size and remove dead stems; however, keep in mind that blossoms are borne on the tip of new growth. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems : No known diseases or insect pests. Leaf spot and powdery mildew can occur.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
The leaves are glossy and dark green with red veins and stems. They are 2 to 6 inches long and new growth is bronze-purple. Rounded to cordate bases and toothed margins, are sessile. Foliage sometimes acquires attractive reddish-purplish shades in fall.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Fragrant; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Trumpet
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The trumpet-shaped, two lipped, yellow blooms are a 1/2 inch across and are borne in 2 to 3 inch crowded clusters of terminal and axillary cymes. It flowers June through August.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Brown capsule, 1/4 inch or longer, with several seeds. Displays from August through October.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
South Eastern United States
Distribution
Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Introduced to Korea.
Wildlife value
Special Value to Bumble Bees and attracts hummingbirds.