Common Name: Amur Honeysuckle
Scientific Name: Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Herder
Synonyms: Bush honeysuckle
Legal Status: Restricted. Propagation and sale of this plant are prohibited in Minnesota. Transportation is only allowed when in compliance with Minnesota Statute 18.82. Although Restricted Noxious Weeds are not required to be controlled or eradicated by law, landowners are strongly encouraged to manage these invasive plants on their properties in order to reduce spread into new areas. Minnesota Noxious Weed Law.
Life cycle: Perennial
Related species: Lonicera morrowii, Lonicera tatarica, Lonicera x bella
Habitat: Able to grow in a range of conditions from full sun to full shade and wet to dry soils. It thrives in disturbed sites, including forest edges, woodlots, floodplains, old pastures, fields, and roadsides.
Impact: Environmental. It can rapidly invade and overtake a site, shade and crowd out native species, and alter habitats by depleting soil moisture and nutrients.
Native range: Manchuria, Japan, Korea, China
Means of spread: Plants reproduce by seed which can be spread by wildlife.
Background
Amur honeysuckle was planted as an ornamental in New York in the late 1800s and has been widely planted for wildlife and erosion control. It has naturalized in the east and Midwest United States. The amount of Amur honeysuckle in Minnesota is likely very small, but it has not been well studied.
Identification
Amur honeysuckle is an erect, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub that can grow to 15- 20 feet in height. It can be easily confused with similar species like Morrow’s, Tatarian or Bell’s honeysuckles, all distinguished by slight differences in flower color and leaf pubescence. Flowers are less than 1 inch long, paired, tubular, white to pinkish, and five-petaled. The leaves are ovate, opposite, lightly pubescent, and 2- 3 inches long. The fruit are spherical red to orange-red berries, developing in late summer and often persisting throughout the winter. The pith of mature stems is hollow and white or tan, as opposed to native shrub honeysuckles which have solid white pith. See the Minnesota Department of Transportation guide for comparisons of various honeysuckle.
Management
- Mechanical: Hand removal of seedlings or small plants
- Chemical: Foliar, stem injection, and cut-stem application of herbicides
- Prescribed burning: Spring burning will kill seedlings and the tops of mature plants
