Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Showy Honeysuckle (a hybrid) - Lonicera x bella   Zabel
Members of Caprifoliaceae:
Members of Lonicera with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Family Caprifoliaceae
AuthorZabel
DistributionVerified collections have been seen only from 4 counties: Alleghany, Mecklenburg, Orange, and Rutherford. Specimens from Harnett County are L. fragrantissima. Specimens from Durham County in 1974 and 1987 and from Madison County are L. morrowii. Specimens from Catawba, Iredell, and Mecklenburg counties are L. maackii. Specimens from Montgomery County are L. standishii. Specimens from Jackson County lack images and cannot yet be verified. Since L. x bella is treated in RAB (1968), while morrowii, maackii, and standishii are not, it may be that collectors "forced" their specimens to fit into L. x bella.

Native of Eurasia; in N.A. Que. to Sask. south to GA, MO, KS, NM.
AbundanceVery rare to rare.
HabitatThickets, waste area by road, vacant lot.
PhenologyFlowering April-May.
IdentificationShowy Honeysuckle is a shrub that is virtually identical to L. morrowii except for flower color and minor details of foliage pubescence. Therefore it is essential that collectors describe the color of fresh and fading flowers, which in this species are white and various shades of pink (vs. white and deep yellow in L. morrowii).
Taxonomic CommentsApparently a hybrid derived from L. morrowii and L. tatarica.

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Global RankGNA
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