Lonicera albiflora

Kearney and Peebles 1969, McDougal 1973

Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Vine General: Shrubby perennials, can be partially twining or straggling, to 3 m tall, stems mostly woody, brown to gray or whitish and often shredding, stems and leaves more or less pubescent. Leaves: Opposite, broadly oval to orbicular or obovate, short petioled except the uppermost which are sessile and connate-perfoliate. Flowers: White to pale yellow, the corolla usually more than 15 mm long, the tube a little longer than the limb, the limb deeply bilabiate, flowers borne in a terminal cluster closely subtended by the uppermost pair of leaves. Fruits: Orbicular red berry, 5-10 mm in diameter. Ecology: Found along streams or drainages, from 3,500-6,000 ft (1067-1829 m); flowering April to June. Distribution: Arkansas to Arizona and Mexico. Notes: This plant is easily recognizable by the orbicular to obovate leaves which closely clasp the stems below the inflorescences. Differentiate from the similar L. interrupta, which has a corolla less than 15 mm long, mostly glabrous leaves, and the stems which are herbaceous above. Ethnobotany: There is no specific use recorded for the species, but the genus has many uses. Etymology: Lonicera is named for Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586), a German herbalist, physician and botanist who wrote a standard herbal text that was reprinted many times between 1557 and 1783, while albiflora means white-flowered. Synonyms: None Editor: LCrumbacher 2011